Hand for a Hand: Part 3
by L.S. Wasp
Summary: Merle is finally reunited with his family and accepted into the prison group as one of them. The constant fear of the Governor and other dangers loom over their heads as Merle reconnects with his brother Daryl and tries to hold on to Gwen, the woman he loves and mother of his child. No matter how hard he tries, Merle always ends up his own worst enemy. Merle/OC, Daryl,Prison Group
1. Chapter 1

**Hand for a Hand: Part 3**

**Welcome back my faithful readers and hopefully some new ones as well! I know it has taken me FOREVER to start this Part 3 and I hope you think it will be worth the wait. If you haven't already read "Hand for a Hand: Parts 1 &2" then you will be lost so please go back and read those first. I am weaving in bits and pieces of the path followed by the tv show but there will be lots of veering away and telling my own story. Please take the time to review and give me your feedback. This is a work in progress and if you don't like the direction I'm going in I want to know that too! As usual, I don't own any rights to the characters or storyline of the show. This is just a tribute to one of my favorite characters. There's no time gap from Part 2 to Part 3, this picks up right where it left off. Hope you like it too!**

**Chapter 1:**

Rick walked out into the courtyard area and noticed Merle tinkering under the hood of one of the vehicles. "I know it seems like the right thing Merle but just like we're expecting them to hit us, they are expecting the same thing in Woodbury…."

Merle backed away from the vehicle slightly and turned towards Rick. "I don't know whatcha talkin' 'bout…."

Rick laughed a little to himself. "Let's not play games here Merle….I know what you're planning and it's too dangerous…."

Frustrated Merle threw his screwdriver against the concrete. "Let me guess….good ol' Derylina went cryin' to ya…..damn brother ain't nothin' but a pussy."

"It wasn't Daryl…." Rick replied as he rested his hands against his hips.

Merle scratched his chin for a moment and his eyes widened. He marched past Rick, his shoulder knocking into his as he made his way back into the cell block.

"MERLE…." He heard Rick call out.

Merle could feel the anger building up as he walked into cell block C. "GWEN!"

"Sssssh!" Beth tried to hush Merle. "You'll wake Judith…."

Merle just ignored her as he marched up the stairs. "GWEN!"

Gwen walked out of their cell, looking startled just as Merle walked on to the upstairs platform. "Merle what's wrong?"

"This is how it's gonna be now? Ya don't like my plan so ya just go rat me out to Rick or whoever else will listen to ya?" Merle barked at her.

"It wasn't like that and you know it….I told you I couldn't let you take on Woodbury on your own….it's too dangerous and you know it….you're just so damn stubborn sometimes." Gwen snapped back at him.

"I ain't alone….Daryl and me can take that place down and you know it…." Merle insisted.

"No we can't…." Daryl came up behind Merle from the staircase.

Merle turned to face his brother. "She's poisoned you against me too…."

"Stop it Merle….ya know it ain't like that….yer still limpin' and I ain't gained all the strength back from bein' shot neither….." Daryl explained. "It'd be a suicide run and you know it…."

"No it ain't….ya gotta have a little faith there brother…." Merle replied.

Gwen had walked back into her cell and walked back out with Ethan in her arms. "It **is** a suicide run but maybe that's what you really want.…." Gwen passed by Daryl as she headed towards the stairs. "He doesn't listen to me…maybe you can get through that thick skull of his."

Merle and Daryl just stared at one another as Gwen headed down the stairs. Merle stepped closer to the railing and watched as Gwen headed out of the cell block. "She can get as pissed as she wants….the only way this will end is to kill the Governor….and I ain't waitin' around here for him to show up….ya can come with me or ya can stay….I don't care anymore…"

"Why don't ya just listen to Rick's plan….that's all I'm askin' ya to do…..just listen…." Daryl pleaded with Merle.

"I'm tired of all this talkin'…..it's time for doin'….."

"Merle if you'd just hear us out I think you'd be on board….Daryl's right….we're just askin' you to listen." Rick remarked as he approached up the stairs.

Merle glared at Daryl and turned his back as Rick stepped closer.

"You can pretend not to listen all you want but goin' into Woodbury like the Lone Ranger and thinkin' you're gonna take everybody is just stupid….even if Daryl went with you it would be the two of you against the whole town….do you really believe you're gonna walk out of there alive?" Rick's voice became stern.

Merle laughed a little to himself and shook his head. "Alright Officer Friendly….let's hear this brilliant plan of yours….."

Rick took a deep breath and stepped closer towards Merle. "You may know Woodbury inside and out but so does the Governor….what he doesn't know is this prison…..that's where we have the advantage…..the element of surprise is what's going to allow us to protect ourselves. You know he has us out manned and out gunned…..but we can out smart him if we stay and defend this prison…."

.

Gwen approached Carol and Axel as they were walking back towards the cell block. The last few days had been spent fortifying the prison

"Carol…..if you and Axel are done could you watch Ethan a bit? I'd ask Beth but she has her hands full with Judith and I don't want to overwhelm her." Gwen asked.

"Of course I don't mind…" Carol stated as she turned towards Axel, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for all your help…."

"Course….I don't mind….just want to do my part….'specially to help keep these little ones safe…I can't believe…" Axel abruptly stopped mid-sentence as they heard a cracking sound and Carol realized his blood had spattered across her face. Quickly his body slumped to the ground and Carol dove down next to him attempting to take cover as the sound of automatic gunfire erupted. Gwen felt a burning pain in her shoulder but quickly lunged towards the fence in attempt to take cover by an overturned metal table. She clutched Ethan to her chest and did her best to protect him as she rolled to her side, jumping with each sound of the bullets striking the metal table that shielded her. Ethan wailed louder than she had ever heard before and the feeling of dread washed over her. Gwen felt helpless….afraid one wrong move would jeopardize them both. Gwen closed her eyes and held her son close as she listened to the gunfire all around her. It seemed to last forever but eventually the gunshots stopped and all she could hear was shouting. Gwen opened her eyes and slightly lifted Ethan away from her. He continued to cry but Gwen soon was horrified by the deep red staining on his clothes.

"Oh my God no…" Gwen frantically felt all over him, looking for his wound.

Merle dropped to his knees next her as Rick rushed up behind him. "Give 'em to me Gwen…." Merle demanded.

"I CAN'T FIND IT….I CAN'T FIND WHERE HE'S BLEEDING!" Gwen handed Ethan to Merle as he quickly searched for a wound himself.

Rick's hand rested against Gwen's shoulder. "It's not his blood…it's yours…." Rick glanced back at Merle as Merle started to nod.

"It ain't his….not a scratch on him…." Merle kissed Ethan's cheek in relief as Ethan's crying soon settled into a whimper.

"Let's get ya inside and let Hershel take a look at that…..Can you walk?" Rick asked as he helped Gwen to her feet.

Gwen looked over and saw Axel's body on the ground with Daryl nearby helping Carol up and leading her back to the cell block.

Rick gripped the rifle in his hand as he looked over his shoulder towards the gate, his other arm around Gwen as they followed Merle and Ethan inside.

.

"You're lucky…..the bullet only grazed you…." Hershel remarked as he bandaged Gwen's shoulder.

Gwen couldn't say much. She just sat there, her hands trembling as she watched Merle pacing slowly with Ethan. All of his focus was on his son at that moment but Gwen knew as soon as it shifted, Merle would be out for blood and there would be no stopping him. Not by anyone.

" Here….I'll change him if ya want…" Beth started to reach for Ethan but as soon as she looked into Merle's eyes she stopped herself and slowly backed away. Startled as she backed into Daryl, she turned towards him. "I was just….I mean…..here…." She handed a onesie to Daryl and walked away.

Merle's silence was unsettling to Daryl. He thought they had him convinced of Rick's plan before all hell had broken loose or at least close to it. Now Daryl couldn't help but worry what Merle would do next.

"It ends tonight…..one way or another….." Merle stated.

"He wants you to react Merle….he's baiting you….don't play into what he wants….Rick's plan is solid…." Daryl tried to convince him.

"Merle's right Daryl…." Rick stated as he approached. Both Daryl and Merle looked at him confused. "We are out of time….but we need to move the plan into action today….we can't wait any longer….he's bound to hit us again soon. This was just a trial run to check our responses….."

"I'll have everyone start packin' up….Merle?...Ya gotta be on board with this….." Daryl insisted.

Merle sighed heavily. "Once he comes here again, he ain't leavin' alive…..I'm goin' after him no matter what and I ain't stoppin' 'til he's dead….."

"Fair enough…." Rick remarked.

Daryl and Rick reluctantly left Merle to inform the others. Daryl passed by Gwen and handed her the onsie Beth had provided. "Pack your stuff…"

Gwen did her best to fight back tears as she approached Merle and Ethan. Gently she took their son from his arms and sat on the floor with her back against the wall as she began to change Ethan. As soon as she got him into clean clothes she held him close and gently kissed his cheek.

"Get up…." Merle remarked coldly as he grabbed hold of her arm and helped her to her feet.

Gwen was almost too afraid to speak, she felt like anything coming from her at that moment would be wrong. "This was my fault….our son almost died because of me…." A tear streamed down her cheek.

Merle shook his head and cupping her face in his hand, he kissed her firmly on the mouth. Roughly he pulled away from her and she could see the angry brewing in his eyes. "Ya should've been safe in the courtyard….ain't like ya were down by the gate…..only one person to blame for this…..and he's gonna be beggin' for death by the time I'm done…."

Merle turned away and headed out of the cell block. Gwen just stood in silence as he walked away. She knew Merle meant every word and she knew if he didn't kill the Governor, he'd sure as hell die trying….


	2. Chapter 2

**Hand for a Hand Part 3**

**A/N: So great to hear from all of you on the first chapter! Please keep the reviews coming. Sorry for such the extended wait for Part 3 but I am also so very glad to be back in the lives of Merle and Gwen. I've taken many liberties in the storyline events surrounding Woodbury so although my story differs from the tv show it will have elements of it so just keep that in mind when reading. There will be differences...the Governor still has both his eyes, Michonne is out of the picture completely (for now...hint, hint) and Andrea is still in the dark about Rick and the others. Hope you enjoy! I'm going to try to post a least a few chapters a week if not more depending on how time allows it. And again don't forget to give me your thoughts and feedback! :)**

**Chapter 2**

Andrea woke to find herself in a dark room, her arms bound behind her back. Her head ached and she felt nauseous. The air was dank which only added to her urge to vomit. She wasn't sure how many days she had been there….the few other waking moments she had she felt completely disoriented before passing out again. Fear felt like it was taking over the more she thought about the loss of time. She struggled to sit up as she heard someone approaching the door.

"Finally….you're awake…." The Governor remarked as he approached her.

Andrea struggled for a moment in a futile attempt to get free but soon became exasperated. "Why am I handcuffed? Why are you holding me here like this?"

The Governor remained silent as he lowered himself to the floor and sat beside her. He drew his knees up to his chest, resting his arms and tilted his head back. He sighed deeply before he spoke. "How did we get like this?...Woodbury was strong….something wonderful was happening between us….."

Andrea just listened….more confused than ever as he continued on.

"You're still in Woodbury…..I didn't want it to come to this but you left me no choice." The Governor remarked as he turned his head to look at her.

Andrea knew in her mind that Phillip was sitting next to her but everything about his demeanor, the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes made her feel like she was sitting next to a complete stranger. "I don't understand Phillip…..release me and we can sort this all out."

The Governor laughed to himself and shook his head. "You are keen on releasing people aren't you?"

Intensely Andrea thought for a moment when fragments started to come back to her. The pregnant woman restrained to an exam table….she had told her she was being held captive and Andrea thought for sure there was some explanation. There was no way Phillip would harm a pregnant woman….but the man sitting next to her wasn't the Phillip she thought she knew….and in that moment she didn't doubt that he was a man that would. "That woman…..why would you do this? This isn't you Phillip….you aren't thinking straight…."

The Governor roughly grabbed her by the jaw. "I'm thinking perfectly straight….it's you that can't figure out where your loyalties lie…..but since you can't decide for yourself then I will decide for you….." He shoved against her as he rose to his feet and headed towards the door.

"Phillip please…..we can work this out….you've just got to talk to me….." Andrea insisted as she struggled to stand.

"I will work this out Andrea….but I'm afraid it's too late for us now…." Andrea heard the lock engage after he closed the door.

Frantically she looked around the room for something to free her or a way out but both attempts were useless.

.

"Go with Hershel, Beth, Gwen and the babies into the woods….you stay there until I send for you is that clear?" Rick instructed Carl.

"But dad….I want to stay and fight…I can do more here…" Carl insisted.

Rick rested his hand on his son's shoulder and looked him square in the eye. "I need someone I can trust protecting Judith and the others….I need you for that….above all else that is what is most important."

"But dad…." Carl pleaded.

"CARL!..." Rick took a deep breath to calm himself, glancing up towards the walkway above the courtyard he couldn't help but see the image of Lori gazing back at him. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Please Carl…..there's no one else I trust more for this…."

.

"Merle….." Gwen approached with Ethan as Merle was checking the weapons. Merle glanced up at her but quickly his focus went back towards the task at hand. "Merle….just stop for a moment…."

"Ain't time…y'all need to get goin'…..get where it's safe….can 't have ya here when all hell breaks loose….." Merle remarked.

Gwen wedged herself between Merle and the table with the weapons. "Look at me…."

Merle smirked and reluctantly stopped what he was doing to look at her. "I'm lookin'….."

"Don't be reckless…..we need you….." She insisted.

"Ya ain't got faith in me to do what needs to be done?" Merle asked.

"You know that's not true…..don't pick a fight with me….not now….not before all this…." Gwen leaned in closer to him.

Merle rested his hand on her hip. "You remember when ya found me…..what a mess I was….."

"Of course I do….I almost left you for dead…." Gwen smiled softly.

"Look at everythin' we been through…..it's like you and me both have nine lives…." Merle gently rubbed his hand along her side.

"I think we've tested that theory out enough Merle….please….be careful….don't let your want for revenge get the better of you….everyone needs to walk away from this in one piece….and if that means the Governor stays out there….alive…..then that's what it means….killing him isn't worth losing you, Daryl or anyone else over…."

"Get on…they got to be waitin' for ya…." Merle pulled away from her and began gathering up the weapons.

"Merle promise me….you'll let it go if it comes to that…." Gwen insisted as she held Ethan close.

Merle stopped and looked at her. "I ain't makin' ya a promise I have no intention of keepin'…."

.

The Governor gathered everyone in the town at the entrance to the gate. Many were armed including young boys around the same age as Carl. The Governor was taking every able person he could.

"WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT PRISON….THERE WILL BE NO MERCY….WE WILL STAY UNTIL THEY ARE ALL DEAD…..IT'S THE ONLY WAY….THE ONLY WAY TO INSURE OUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF WOODBURY. THEY WANT WHAT WE HAVE….THEY'LL KILL ALL OF US TO GET IT….WE MUST KILL THEM FIRST….EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM…." The Governor continued to pass out as many weapons as he could, waving vehicles towards the gate to line up.

"Governor….." Tyrese approached with his sister Sasha. "I don't know how to say this but…this ain't our fight….we ain't got no problem killin' walkers but people…..I'm sorry…..we just can't do that….we'll be happy to stay and protect the children….the elderly….and if ya want us to leave when this is all said and done then we'll leave with no hard feelin's…I hope ya understand…."

The Governor glared at Tyrese for a moment and then his attention went to Sasha. He could see the fear in her eyes as her brother had spoken. It took all he had not to gun them down in front of everyone but he knew he had to keep them all together and couldn't risk losing their allegiance. They could stay and protect Woodbury but once he returned he'd deal with them proper. The Governor grabbed a rifle and shoved it against Tyrese's chest. "Thank you….."

The Governor turned back towards the crowd. "WE'RE HEADING OUT IN TEN MINUTES SO BE READY!..."

.

"Milton…..oh my God please….you have to help me….Phillip isn't in his right mind….we've got to help him somehow…." Andrea pleaded as Milton stood in the doorway. He held a pistol in his hand. "Milton?...What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Andrea…..I…..he didn't give me much of a choice….I don't want to….but…." Milton stumbled over his own words.

"Then DON'T…..you can think for yourself….I don't know what Phillip has told you but nothing has to happen here that you don't want to have happen." Andrea continued to struggle in her handcuffs no matter how useless it was.

Milton walked further into the room and frantically began to pace. "Things have just gotten so out of control…I don't know what to do…..they are attacking the prison….today….they are going to kill them all…."

Andrea looked up at him confused. "The prison….what prison? Who are you talking about?"

Milton looked at her surprised. "Don't you know? Didn't he tell you? The prison….where the others are?"

"No one has told me anything that's going on…..I've only gotten these fragments from Phillip, half of which don't even make sense….please….just take a moment Milton and talk to me….explain to me what's going on….maybe I can help."

Milton covered his mouth with his hand for a moment then ran his fingers through his hair. He looked back at Andrea and quickly sat down in front of her. Andrea just stared at him intensely.

"Merle….Gwen….the others…." Milton started to speak but then waited as if he was testing her to see if there was some sort of recognition.

"Gwen?...wait Merle? I…" Andrea couldn't help but become more confused.

"The pregnant woman you help free….the one that clocked you in the head that had you drifting in and out for days…she and Merle…well…." Milton began to smirk.

"She was the woman that was here before wasn't she?….I think I'm beginning to understand…but I thought she was dead….and Merle...I thought he disappeared on a run... Phillip was looking for him...he….wait….what others?" Andrea stopped herself.

"More like hunting Merle...Your friends are set up in the prison…..Merle's brother…..the others…." Milton finished for her.

Andrea's eyes widened as it all started to make sense. "They're alive?..."

"Not for long….." Milton sighed and looked back at his gun.

"Milton….listen to me….we have to help them….this isn't right and you know it….you are a good man….I know you are….you don't want this…..not any of it and Phillip needs to be stopped….he doesn't know what he's doing….not really….we have to help them…..it's the only way to save everyone….we can't have any more bloodshed….please…..you have to help me…."

.

Glenn and Maggie got in position and waited. The prison was completely silent. Only the sounds of insects and the occasional bird echoed in the air. Both had the protective gear on they found in the prison. It was heavy and uncomfortable but they knew it was their best defense. They were well hidden but close enough to still be able to speak to each other.

"Do you think this will really work?" Maggie whispered to Glenn.

"It has too…..there's no other choice….it just has to work…" Glenn replied.

Maggie didn't respond back right away. There were a million things running through her head. She was afraid for everyone. Her family, Glenn, the babies…..everyone….somehow this seemed even more difficult than dealing with the walkers. And the waiting was making her impatient. She just wanted it all to be over.

"What if they don't come?...How long are we going to stay like this? I mean I'm not complaining but what if they don't come?" Maggie questioned.

"They'll come…." Glenn insisted. "And we'll wait as long as it takes…..just stay ready…."

.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter follows parts of the season 3 finale with my own twist. I have taken some dialogue/actions from that last episode so this chapter is not all mine. Thanks for all the feedback so far, please keep it up. I know some of you have expressed concern for Gwen not seeming as brave and strong as before. Just keep in mind, she just had a baby, having the added responsibility of another life completely weighing on her has her second guessing herself and feeling guilty about every choice she makes. She doesn't know if she's able to be a good mom especially in an apocalyptic world. She just needs to get grounded and you'll start seeing the old Gwen soon enough. Don't forget to review!**

_***flashbang: A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade or flashbang, is a non-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy's senses. It is designed to produce a blinding flash of light and loud noise without causing permanent injury.  
**_

**Chapter 3**

The Governor barreled through the gates of the prison in his vehicle, stopping briefly for a moment to take out the walkers. Vehicle after the vehicle came through until they reached the courtyard of the prison. Men, women and young boys jumped out of the vehicles with their guns and approached the cell block. Martinez launched a few rocket propelled grenades at the towers, each explosion rang loudly, the sound bouncing off the prison walls. The echoing sound lingered.

The Governor looked around as he stepped from the vehicle...confused by the silence after the noise of the grenades and their gunfire settled...He waved for the others to follow him into the cell block...

.

Gwen held Ethan close as she heard the sound of gunfire and explosions. She hated not being with Merle...not helping in the fight but she knew she couldn't protect Ethan and be in the thick of things at the same time. She huddled down with Beth and Judith as Carl and Hershel kept guard for walkers and anyone else.

"What if it doesn't work?...What if something happens to them?...What do we do then?" Beth asked as she gently swayed with Judith to keep her quiet.

"Rick's plan was solid...We just have to have faith." Hershel insisted. "You're awfully quiet there Gwen...you alright?"

Gwen looked over to Hershel and forced a small smile. "Beth's right...the not knowing is difficult...I feel useless just hiding out here, like I should be doing more."

"I think you have your hands full with that little one...protecting family is what's most important and that's exactly what you are doing..." Hershel reassured her.

"I should be there..." Carl muttered to himself.

"Carl...your father was clear...we need you more here with us...protecting your sister." Hershel remarked.

Carl, out of his own frustration kicked the dirt but soon was distracted by the sound of rustling leaves...

.

As soon as Merle heard the first flashbang go off, he flipped the generator switch which controlled the alarm. The sound of the alarm drowned out any gunfire as Merle ran back towards the cell block.

Rick, wearing one of the prison gas masks, rolled another flashbang down the corridor then another. Smoke filled the area, disorienting and choking the Governor's men. Soon all those from Woodbury were screaming and shouting as they tried to retreat.

Maggie, Glenn and Daryl each took aim at the entrance of the cell block, still sheltered in their hiding places, patiently waiting until a flood of people came pouring out of the cell block. The three of them immediately began to shout and fire their weapons. Each aiming either too high or low to avoid killing anyone. As much as they wanted to insure their own safety, they knew the Governor had brainwashed many into doing his dirty work. Rick had instructed and they all agreed not to kill anyone unless they absolutely had to. Everyone had agreed, even a reluctant Merle.

The Governor chased after his own people, screaming at them to "stop" and "hold strong" but most charged towards the vehicles for safety. Only a few of the men lingered around the Governor but he soon joined in the retreat once he saw his "army" quickly abandoning him and driving towards the property gates.

Maggie, Glenn and Daryl continued their steady spray of bullets at the vehicles until all were out of sight. They each stepped out from their area of cover as Rick exited from the cell block, yanking off his gas mask soon followed by Carol as she did the same.

Maggie lifted up the face shield from her helmet. "We did it?..."

"We did it!" Glenn smiled back at her.

Rick, still breathing heavy as he tried to catch his breath. "This time at least...Carol, why don't you get Hershel and the others from the woods and let them know it's safe to return..."

Daryl began to look around. "Where's Merle?"

They all heard the roar of a car engine and soon saw a vehicle coming from the side of the courtyard, barreling past Daryl as he saw Merle behind the wheel. Daryl practically had to jump out of it's path but pounded his fist on the trunk lid as it past by.

"DAMMIT MERLE!...STOP!" Daryl started to chase after the car but quickly realized it was useless as Merle gunned it down towards the gate. Daryl quickly headed towards the area he had hidden his motorcycle as Rick chased after him.

"Daryl!...Stop!.?..Going after him on your own won't help!" Rick grabbed his arm as he caught up to him.

Roughly Daryl jerked away from him. "He ain't takin' on the Governor alone... I ain't got no choice..."

"Just wait...wait a second Daryl...let's be smart about this...get the truck... I'm going with you..." Rick ordered.

"He's my brother...it ain't your problem..." Daryl replied.

"Maybe so...but you are too important to this group for me to let you go on your own..." Rick insisted.

.

A walker slowly approached Hershel and the others as it quickly alerted to attention when Judith let out a soft cry. Beth tried to shush her and started to gently bounce her in attempt to keep her settled.

Carl quickly took aim and fired. Dropping the walker to the ground with one shot. He looked over his shoulder at Hershel. "I took care of it..."

Hershel's face didn't yield the relief and gratitude Carl expected and soon he realized Hershel was looking past him. Carl quickly turned his focus back around as he heard the approaching footsteps. Carl raised his gun again as Hershel quickly hobbled towards him on one crutch, doing his best to keep his balance as he raised his own gun.

"Son...drop your weapon..." Hershel ordered the young man, barely older than Carl as he approached them with a shotgun.

The young man quickly slowed, looked scared and confused. "Ok...take it..." He reluctantly held the weapon away from his body as his eyes locked with Carl's. Before another word was said, Carl pulled the trigger of his weapon.

.

"This is taking too long...he's gonna get too far ahead..." Daryl complained to Rick.

Impatiently Rick paced for a moment then turned towards Glenn. "He's right... we need to go after him now...you and Maggie make sure the others are safe...hold things down here in case the Governor and his men come back...This is no time to let our guard down...we'll come back as soon as we can."

"Rick don't...you're both wasting your time...he won't come back unless the Governor is dead!...We did it...it's over..." Glenn insisted.

"Then let's pray Merle succeeds...we have to finish this, we can't live like this...We can't let up until it's done...The Governor will regroup and hit us again...we can't risk another attack!" Rick told him as he turned towards the truck.

Daryl was already in the driver's seat and shouted "COME ON...LET'S GO!"

.

The Governor barreled past the other vehicles, quickly turning his vehicle to block the road and cut them off. The Governor jumped out of his vehicle and approached the others as they all got out.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? WE NEED TO DIG IN!" He waved his gun as he shouted.

One man stepped forward. "It's not worth it!"

"THAT WAS A SLAUGHTER!" From a woman approaching the Governor.

Martinez stepped out of the Governor's vehicle. "YOU BUNCH OF PUSSIES!"

Another man stepped forward. "We're done fighting for a hole with a half dozen psychopath livin' in it...they can have it!"

The Governor quickly began to pace as his blood began to boil.

"You've seen what they've done! They attacked us, we're going back! " Another man argued back at the group for the Governor.

The woman spoke up again. "We're not soldiers, you want us to kill biters, of course but this...this is crazy!"

Others continued to argue back and forth as the Governor just stopped and stood still. His head throbbed so loudly, he could no longer hear the people arguing...he had enough...enough of the weakness...the cowardliness...the blatant disobedience...he wouldn't stand for it any longer...he knew in that very moment what he needed to do. He needed to create a new Woodbury, one without weakness...a true army...


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the support! I hope you all will continue to review the chapters. **

**Chapter 4**

Merle slowed the vehicle to almost a crawl as he noticed the vehicles stopped along side the road. He could see something scattered in the roadway but was too far off to make out what it was. He pressed firmly on the brake and waited for a moment. There were no signs of any movement of any sort. He gently took his foot off the brake and began to roll forward...

.

"He did what?..." Gwen didn't have any doubt what Maggie had said...she just didn't want to believe it.

Maggie rested her hand on Gwen's shoulder. "I'm sorry...I'm sure that's the last thing you wanted to hear but try not to worry...Rick and Daryl went after him...I'm sure they'll catch up with him in time..."

"I think I'm just going to go up to my cell...Ethan is tired...I should put him to bed..." Gwen walked up the staircase. She entered the cell and gently laid Ethan in his crib and just stared at him a moment.

Gwen sat on the mattress she shared with Merle and leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. She didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry...or both. Merle wouldn't stop...it wouldn't matter if Daryl and Rick caught up with him, he'd push on...he wouldn't come back unless the Governor was dead. That is assuming he didn't get himself killed in the process.

"Doesn't it feel like all we do is run in circles?" Carol asked as she stood in the doorway of Gwen's cell.

Gwen smirked as she glanced up at Carol. "I'm tired of running..."

Carol sat down next to her, wrapping her arm around her. "I can only imagine how difficult this all must be for you..."

"It's no more difficult for me than anyone else...we all are just fighting to get through to the next day." Gwen responded.

Carol shook her head. "I remember when Sophia was first born...it was thrilling and exciting all at the same time...the realization of having another life relying solely on you to teach them how to do everything...it was overwhelming and so completely frightening. It took me forever to let Sophia sleep through a whole night without checking to see if she was breathing."

Gwen laughed but couldn't help but tear up. "So all new mothers do that?... Not just me?"

"Oh my God I was awful...you could set a watch by me...every half hour I'd check on her...I got better though...eventually it changed to an hour." Carol smiled and nudged her slightly.

"I...I'm so afraid of doing something wrong...I won't protect him enough...or I'll protect him too much and he won't be able to take care of himself if something happens to me...this world is so dangerous...I wake up every morning and look at him, amazed that he's mine but then suddenly I feel guilty...how could I have been so careless to bring a baby into this world? He will grow up in fear and constantly struggling...what kind of life will he really have?" Gwen couldn't help but start to cry.

Carol gently rubbed her arm. "We all have that guilt in some sense...I wish I had done more for Sophia...I wish I had taught her to fight...and not to be so afraid but I was too busy trying to learn those things for myself that I didn't have it to offer...look at you Gwen...you've been out there on your own, injured but you kept fighting...you're strong...you managed to wrangle in Merle Dixon! That's quite the feat in itself...if you can handle that man I have no doubt you are going to be an amazing mother to Ethan...he will be strong...just like his mother...let's just hope he doesn't inherit all that Dixon stubborness...a little won't hurt but not all..."

Gwen couldn't help but laugh as she wiped the tears from her face. "Oh Merle...I swear that man is going to drive me insane...I just want to go after him and ring his neck...he'll just go...he won't think...he just does..." Gwen sighed in frustration.

"If anyone can get through to him it's Daryl..." Carol stood up and started to walk out.

"Thanks Carol...you've always been there for me...and I really appreciate it..."

Carol smiled at her as she walked away towards the stairs. She was glad she was able to help Gwen feel better but she wasn't convinced herself that Daryl could stop Merle from getting himself killed but she knew it was what Gwen needed to hear...

.

Merle stared at all the bodies that littered the ground...the citizens of Woodbury...the Governor's make shift soldiers...each and everyone of them slaughtered. Riddled full of bullet holes.

"Suckers..." Merle remarked as he walked among the bodies. "Ya poor saps never stood a chance...sure y'all thought ya could reason with him until the end...'til he shot ya all down in cold blood..."

Merle couldn't help but become even more discusted with the Governor. He knew deep down he was a cold hearted bastard but seeing all those people...people that attempted to show their allegiance to him all murdered...Murdered because they couldn't fight the way he wanted. Merle shook his head...he wouldn't get sucked into to feeling bad for them... if anything it worked out better for him...fewer people between him and the Governor...

.

Andrea was confused by the way Milton abruptly left her locked up in one of the warehouse rooms. She couldn't help but look around and wonder how many others had been locked in that room...how many had been killed there.

"How could I have been so wrong?...How could I have not seen it?" Andrea laughed in despair at herself a little. She couldn't help but feel ashamed for not seeing the truth sooner. And to think all this time Rick and the others had been so close...Merle's disappearance had made her suspicious but unfortunately for her not suspicious enough. Now it was going to cost her her life.

Milton opened the door and rushed over towards her, unlocking her handcuffs. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I even considered hurting you...I don't know why I..."

"Milton it's alright...it's ok..." She stated as she quickly stood and exited the room with him.

"I heard a commotion at the gate... I think they've returned...we have to hurry if we're going to get you out of here..." Milton cautiously led her down the hallway to the exit. They opened the door and slipped out, staying close to the building as they searched for a way out.

"Wait Milton...get down!" Andrea grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged hard. They both crouched down.

Milton could see the Governor's vehicle pull up on the other side of the street. He stepped out of his vehicle, still gripping his automatic weapon tightly as pointed at Martinez and the tall man with him, giving them instructions neither Andrea or Milton could make out. The tall man began walking in the direction of the warehouse but Milton and Andrea leaned tightly against the side wall, praying they couldn't be seen.

"We're not going to make it..." Milton whispered.

Andrea grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. "We will..."

They could hear the tall man enter in warehouse but it wasn't long before he was back out and running back towards the Governor. They could both imagine him telling the Governor Andrea was gone with Milton no where in sight and from an inaudible yelling from the Governor he was infuriated. Milton and Andrea stared at one another, both shaking in fear, wondering if there really was a way out.

.

Martinez rushed into the building where Tyrese and Sasha had been with those that remained in Woodbury from the attack.

"Governor wants everyone to line up outside...there's an important announcement..." He instructed.

Tyrese and Sasha help gather everyone up. Martinez looked pale and nervous as he helped hurry the others out. Tyrese felt uneasy about facing the Governor again but hoped for the best as he and Sasha were the last to exit.

"Tyrese...Sasha...wait..." Martinez stopped them.

They both looked at him confused. "What is it?" Tyrese asked.

Martinez rubbed his hand over his mouth for a moment and Tyrese could clearly see he was shaking. His eyes began to well up with tears. He couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with him. "You two are new here...you can take care of yourselves...best thing for both of you is to slip out now while you have the chance..."

"What's going on...what happened out there?" Sasha asked.

"As far as I'm concerned, I thought y'all came out with the rest of the group..." Martinez started to walk away.

"I don't understand..." Tyrese looked at him confused.

"I'm trying to give ya a chance..." He glanced back at him as he continued on.

Both Sasha and Tyrese stood still, just staring at each other for a moment. "What does that mean?" Sasha asked.

"I'm not sure but by the look on his face, he doesn't have to tell me twice...come on...we're gettin' out of here before anyone else comes looking for us." Tyrese grabbed her arm and they started to leave in the opposite direction.

.

"What's he doing?" Andrea whispered as she and Milton peered out from next to the building.

The Governor seemed to be dividing the townspeople, selecting only a few of to one side and gathering the rest to another. Andrea strained to see over Milton's shoulder.

"Maybe we should make a run for it now...while everyone seems distracted..." Milton suggested.

"Just a sec...I want to know what he's doing..." Andrea insisted.

The Governor paced back and forth for a moment, his rifle down by his side. Andrea wished she could hear what he was saying but she could see the look of confusion on all the people's faces. Suddenly the Governor raised his weapon and gunned down all the townspeople in front of him. The few that had been separated coward back in fear. The Governor quickly turned on them, pointing his gun as he shouted.

Andrea and Milton didn't need to hear what he was saying to get the idea...quickly they both crept towards the back of the building and ran close to the wall until they could find a good part to cross over. Milton struggled to help hoist Andrea up as she straddled one leg across the wall. She looked back at Milton.

"Alright, come on..." She reached her hand out towards him as she braced herself with her other hand.

"I can't make it...I'll only slow you down out there..." Milton looked over his shoulder to make sure they hadn't been spotted.

"Milton I'm not leaving without you...we'll protect each other..." She reached out to him and reluctantly he took her hand...

.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you to those who take the time to review! The feedback is very helpful so keep it coming. I watched the latest episode of the Walking Dead and got the impression that something I planned to do in about a chapter or so may be happening on the show, or something similar...drat! I wish I had already written and posted the chapter! Oh well I'll have it written and posted most likely before the episode airs so we can at least compare and see how close I am. I'm excited to hear what you all think of the chapter after this so I'm hoping I am able to post in the next day or so. Thanks to all my faithful readers.**

**Chapter 5**

Rick felt nauseous as he stared as all the bodies lying before he and Daryl.

"Merle didn't do this..." Daryl said angrily.

Rick reached out towards him but Daryl backed away. "I wasn't accusing him Daryl..."

"No but you were thinkin' it... I can see it on your face!" Daryl turned away from Rick and jammed the blade of his knife into the head of one of the dead as it began to reanimate. "It's that sick fuck!...He did this to his own...cause they ran..."

"He's right...it was the Governor..." A dark haired woman stepped from one of the vehicles.

Both Rick and Daryl raised their weapons at her, startled by her voice.

"Please...I don't want to fight..." She insisted with her hands raised.

Reluctantly, both Daryl and Rick lowered their weapons. Rick stepped closer towards her. "Are you hurt?"

The woman shook her head no as she slowly lowered her hands to her sides.

"What happened here?" Rick asked.

"The Governor...he just lost it...he was screaming at all of us...then he just turned and fired on us all...I pretended I was dead..."

Rick looked back at Daryl who appeared just as disgusted as he was.

"What about my brother?...Merle...did ya see him come through here?"

The woman nervously looked at them both. "I think so...I'm not sure...someone else passed through but just for a brief moment... I stayed hidden...I wasn't even sure if I should come out to you...but..."

"Where else are you going to go?" Rick asked.

"That's exactly why...Woodbury isn't an option...I know it must seem crazy...I just attacked you...I don't deserve your help...If the Governor could kill all of the people I care about, all of the people that were loyal to him then I can only assume everything he told us about y'all was a lie...I'm sorry..." The woman's eyes filled with tears but she choked them back.

"What's yer name?" Daryl asked.

"Karen..."

Rick stepped closer to Daryl and they whispered to each other for a brief moment before Rick turned his attention back to Karen.

"We'll take you in on one condition...you have to help us get into Woodbury..." Rick told her.

"What?...That's crazy...it's too dangerous, if the Governor knows you are there he won't show any mercy..." Karen looked at him confused.

"Maybe...but my brother's goin' after him and I ain't goin' back to the prison without him..." Daryl added.

"Just help us find a way in... that's all we're asking...we're not asking you to fight this fight with us..." Rick told her.

Karen thought for a moment and she knew what she needed to do it...it was what was right. "I'll do it...I'll help you..."

.

Getting back into Woodbury was easy for Merle...he knew that town inside and out. All he had to do now was wait...wait until dark, which was approaching fast and he'd make his way to the Governor's home.

Merle watched as a few men loaded bodies from the street onto the back of a truck. The Governor was cleaning house. Merle wasn't surprised as much as he hated to admit it but with all the secret missions and the things that when on behind closed doors was finally overflowing into the Mayberry-esque town the Governor created. The true Woodbury...the one the Governor had secretly wanted all along. There was no room for the weak and the Governor was wasting no time taking them out.

Merle couldn't help but think what he would be doing at that moment if it hadn't been for Gwen and Ethan. He'd probably still be the Governor's right hand man...he would've locked Daryl away in one of rooms in the warehouse until he joined in. All Daryl would've needed was some time to get out from under Rick's thumb and he would've come around eventually. The thought made Merle sick to his stomach. He wasn't much better than the Governor himself. How long would his truce with Rick and the others really last? How long until Gwen and his own son saw him for the man he really was...undeserving of both of them.

Merle clenched his jaw as he tried to shake off his own self hatred. He kept trying to convince himself none of it mattered, things were different and the Governor was going to pay one way or another. Watching the men load up the last few bodies kept drawing him back in...he could've been one of those men...

.

Gwen walked up the stairs of one of the damaged towers. Glenn and Maggie were at the top trying to clean up and repair the platform, dumping the debris over edge onto the ground below.

Glenn stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Everything alright?"

"Yes...just thought I'd come take a look...can I help?" Gwen asked.

Maggie stopped working and sat down for a moment. Both she and Glenn were filthy. "We're almost done for the night...once it's dark we can't see what we're doin' but thanks...you probably should be resting anyhow...I hate to state the obvious but you did just have a baby and you were shot...I'm sure Rick would be tellin' ya the same..."

"I just feel useless at the moment I guess." Gwen remarked as she directed her attention out past the gate. There was no sign of Daryl or Rick...nor any sign of Merle.

"There will always be a ton of work to do Gwen...take advantage of resting while you can." Glenn gently patted her arm.

.

Carl sat on the edge of his bunk just staring at his gun. He kept seeing the boy in front of him. He was protecting his family. He only did what he had to do. What others had been afraid to do in the past that cost people their lives.

"What did it feel like?"

Carl heard a soft voice ask and he looked up at Beth standing in the doorway of his cell. He didn't answer her...he just stared back at his gun.

Beth stepped into the cell and sat next to him. "If you don't want to talk about it I understand."

"I did what I had to do...I was there to protect you...Judith...Hershel...Gwen and Ethan...my dad trusted me...he was counting on me and I did it...I killed one of the Governor's soldiers..." Carl insisted.

"But still...it couldn't have been easy...he was almost the same age as you...ya have to feel bad about it..." Beth remarked.

Carl jumped to his feet and turned towards her. He gripped the pistol tightly in his hand. "I DON'T HAVE TO FEEL BAD FOR PROTECTING WHAT'S MINE! WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ANYWAYS! ALL YOU'RE GOOD FOR IS CHANGING DIAPERS AND COOKIN'...YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS!"

Beth looked at Carl's hand as he held the gun and looked back into his angry eyes. Her eyes filled with tears and she tried but failed to hold them back as she ran from the cell. Carl started to chase after her.

"BETH...WAIT...I DIDN'T..." but she was out of sight before he could even finish. "I didn't mean it...I didn't mean to scare you..." Carl tossed the pistol on the bed and climbed up to the top bunk. Although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he wished he hadn't killed that boy. He thought in the moment it was right but as the hours passed, he quickly began to doubt himself.

.

Merle crept into the Governor's home once night fell...it was quiet and empty. All he had to do was wait...the Governor would return and one way or another everything would be over. Merle quietly walked around the room, opening drawers to kill time. He found a box of cigars and breathed deeply as he held one against his nose.

"Why that's mighty kind of ya Gov...don't mind if I do..." Merle said to himself as he stuffed a few of the cigars in one of the pockets of his cargo pants.

He continued to look around, finding odds and ends of things, trophies he suspected the Governor had stolen from people along the way. He even found a can of peanuts to munch on as he continued snooping for his own amusement. Merle came upon the locked door on the back side of the room. It was never talked about but he knew who was on the back side of that door. Something pathetic and miserable, something Merle had heard plenty of whispers about. He had seen her once, briefly as the Governor was putting her away one day but he never wanted a good look at her...that is until now...

Merle pried the lock open with the blade of his knife. Slowly he opened the door, unsure of how things were on the other side. He stepped inside the small room and immediately noticed the glow from the aquariums stacked along the wall. Merle stood with his jaw hung open...severed heads filled each tank. He understood the keepsakes from people he found in the main room but not this. This was far more perverse than he ever imagined.

A slight rustling at the small door in the wall inside the room caught his attention. _She must be in there... _he thought to himself. Slowly he reached for the door handle. He wasn't quite sure what to expect as he opened the door.

Suddenly, the small girl lunged for Merle...startled, he jumped as she was jerked back from the shortness of the chain attached to the collar on her neck.

"Wooooooaaah there girlie!" Merle cautiously pulled to hood off her head as she struggle more fiercely and began snapping at him. Merle just stared at her in awe as she hissed and growled at him.

"Don't worry sweetheart...you and me are gonna sit right here and wait for your daddy... I've got somethin' special planned for both of ya!"...

.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I wasn't sure I would finish writing this chapter as quickly as I did! I hope it stresses you out as much as it did for me to write it! Granted one of Merle's lines was taken from the show but I thought it was so appropriate I had to. Don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 6**

"Pack up all the supplies we can carry in the vehicles...only what's essential..." The Governor ordered Martinez as he walked towards his home.

Another man approached Martinez as the Governor was walking away. "Got the bodies loaded in the truck...what should I do with them?"

Martinez couldn't help but be distracted...it took him a moment to fully understand what the man had asked since his mind was going in different directions. "Mike is it?" The man nodded. "Take them outside the gate to the field on the west side of town and burn 'em... be careful though it's getting dark...take one of the other guys to help..."

Mike nodded and walked away. Martinez looked back at the Governor's home. Part of him wanted to run and get as far away from the Governor as he could but the other part of him felt obligated to stay. As much as he hated it, he thought the Governor was the key to surviving. Martinez sighed heavily then made his way to the infirmary to gather what medicine was left.

.

The Governor stepped into his home and he immediately noticed the room where he kept Penny was open. "Penny?..." He rushed towards the room and stopped short in the doorway. Immediately the anger began to build in him again but this time it was over shadowed by fear.

"Good evenin' Gov...yer daughter and me are just enjoyin' whatcha got on the tele here...but I must say it ain't much of a selection though..." Merle gestered with his bladed wrist guard towards the aquariums as he gripped the back of Penny's collar with the other. She squirmed and grunted as he held on tight.

The Governor's stomach turned. He knew how heartless Merle could be and at that moment he was willing to do or say anything if he would just let her go. "Please Merle...don't hurt her..." He awkwardly laughed a little as he slowly started to step forward. "I know we've had our differences...I'm sure we can work something out..."

"Ah now...think ya better stay right there...can't have ya comin' any closer." Merle pressed the flat side of the blade against the side of Penny's face. She started to become agitated. "That's right...back up a little..."

"Leave her out of this...she's just a child..." The Governor insisted.

Merle's smirk as he spoke quickly turned into anger. "No Governor...a child?..she ain't a child no more...she's some kind of sad pathetic freak ya keep locked away."

"No Merle you're wrong...there's a part of her still there..." The Governor's voice became more frantic.

"A child is that baby Gwen was holdin' in her arms when ya shot her...MY CHILD!". Merle took a deep breath as he tried to keep a tight reign on his anger. "Ya almost took them from me...and he ain't done nothin' to ya..."

"You're right...it was wrong of me...things have just gotten carried away...we can work this out...what do you want?...Guns?...Food?...Ammunition?...I've got all of that...you name it, it's yours...just give me my daughter..." The Governor pleaded.

Merle glanced at Penny...she continued to struggle and growl at both of them. "One thing I learned in all this...I ain't never gonna let my family turn...never...". With that, Merle plunged his blade into Penny's skull and she stilled. The room became deafly silent as her small body seemed to drop to the floor in slow motion.

The Governor's eyes widened in horror as he began to tremble. Rage coarsed through his veins unlike anything he ever felt before. His mind was only focused on one thing in that moment as he lunged towards Merle.

"COME ON!" Merle laughed as the Governor plowed into him. "LET'S SEE WHAT YER REALLY MADE OF!"

The Governor slammed his fist into Merle's jaw over and over until Merle regained his footing and pinned him against the wall. "That's it Gov...gimmee all ya got...make it good now..." Merle continued to bait him which infuriated the Governor even more. Merle punched him hard in the stomach but continued to hold back. He wanted this to draw out as long as possible.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" The Governor struck Merle as hard as he could, knocking him to the floor. Merle struggled to quickly get to his feet but the Governor stomped on his back, forcing him back down on the floor. Repeatedly he kicked Merle in the side, sending Merle rolling into the wall. All the air escaped from his lungs as he gasped for air. He felt the Governor's hands on him and Merle quickly swung his right arm around, piercing into the flesh of the Governor's thigh.

The Governor cried out in pain but gripped the wrist guard tightly as he steadily slid the blade from his wound. Before Merle had the chance to struggle away, the Governor twisted his arm and drove his knee hard against his arm. The sound alone was enough to make Merle queasy. Pain radiated through his whole arm as he felt it go limp.

"No..." Merle muttered as he tried to regain control.

"THAT'S IT MERLE! I WANT TO HEAR YOU BEG FOR MERCY! BEG ME!" The crazed look in the Governor's eyes was unlike any Merle had seen before. He had far underestimated his strength but it didn't matter. It would just make killing the Governor even more satisfying. The Governor kneeled into Merle's chest, wrapping his hands around his throat and began to squeeze. Merle could feel himself becoming light headed when he reached for the Governor's face.

"I...ain't...beggin' you..." Merle struggled to speak as he dug his thumb as hard as he could into his right eye until he felt a pop. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, darkness filled Merle's vision and he couldn't hold on to consciousness.

The Governor screamed as he backed off Merle and clutched his face, cupping his eye socket with his hand he struggle to get up. He struggled to open his good eye but was able to make out a motionless Merle. He gasped as he tried to catch his breath, blood trickling down his face and into his mouth from his injured eye. The pain was almost unbearable. He turned towards the doorway and saw the lifeless body of his daughter and the anger overpowered his own pain as he made his way into the main area of his home. He staggered over to a cabinet, still holding onto his face with one hand and grabbed a bottle of lamp oil. For a moment he debated pouring it all over Merle and setting him on fire but then he thought that would be too merciful for Merle and over too quick. He began dousing areas of the room and once he was finished he fumbled for a box of matches in a drawer. He paused for a moment, the throbbing grew stronger on the right side of his face. He struggled to light the match but once he did, he tossed it onto the floor. The flames quickly started to spread but the Governor couldn't help but smile to himself. Merle would burn slow...

.

Karen led Daryl and Rick to a lose board in the wall. It was barely wide enough but they each managed to squeeze in. Rick stopped just as Karen was following them in. "That's enough...you don't have to endanger yourself anymore..." He started to speak but she interrupted.

"No...I want to help you finish this..." She insisted.

Quietly they crept, thankful the sun had set to help shield them in the darkness.

"You smell that?" Daryl asked.

"Something's on fire..." Rick remarked and at about that time they saw smoke and flames billowing up from one of the buildings.

"That looks like it's coming from the Governor's home..." Karen stated as they all began to run towards that direction.

Daryl didn't say it but he had a bad feeling about it. Burning was not Merle's style. He started to round the corner when Rick grabbed hold of him and shoved him against the building. "Wait Daryl...look!"

They watched as the Governor staggered away from the building towards the men at the vehicles across the street.

"BURN IT ALL" They heard the Governor shout! "BURN THIS PATHETIC PLACE DOWN!"

One of the men ran towards the Governor to assist him while the others. scattered in different directions.

"Merle could be in there!" Daryl tried to push away but Rick had a firm grip.

"You can't! They'll see you..." Rick had to fight Daryl with all his strength.

Karen put her hands on both of them. "I know a back way in...at least that way you won't be seen...if Merle is there you might be able to get him that way."

.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know! I'm torturing you all! Is Merle going to be ok or was he too stubborn for his own good?! You'll get the answer soon enough...just be patient...**

**Chapter 7**

Gwen stood outside her cell on the walk way and paced back and forth. The sun had set over an hour ago and there was no sign of the others returning. She couldn't help but wonder at what point would it be considered "too long". She didn't know if she should expect the worst or think Merle pulled it off. She chewed on the skin around her nails and paused as she stared into the cell at the crib. She couldn't think the worst. She couldn't take care of Ethan alone. Quickly she took back to pacing.

"You're going to wear a hole into that floor if you keep that up!" Hershel called up to her. "Why don't you come down here for a bit..."

Gwen stopped and stared down at Hershel. Reluctantly she headed for the stairs.

"Come on...have a seat...I'll fix you some tea...it will help calm your nerves." Hershel motioned to one of the tables just outside the cell block and hobbled his way over.

"I don't think anything is going to help at this point...not unless it's them returning safe and sound." Gwen insisted.

"Well there's no harm in trying..." Hershel handed her a mug. "While I got ya down here, I'll take a look at that shoulder...looks like you may have opened up that wound a little."

Gwen looked at her shoulder and noticed a small red stain seeping through her shirt. "I...didn't even notice..."

Hershel pulled the collar of her shirt to the side and changed the bandage. "You've got to take better care of yourself before you make yourself sick...your body is going to give out on ya if ya don't...and that's doctor's orders..."

"Thanks Hershel...I know...you're right...it just always seems like there's no time for resting." Gwen sipped slowly on her tea.

"You've got to make time Gwen...if you're not going to do it for yourself then do it for that beautiful boy of yours up there."

Gwen couldn't help but look up towards the second level. "Want to hear something awful?"

"I'm not sure but you've got me intrigued..." Hershel told her.

Gwen looked back at him and smiled for a moment. "I can't believe I'm admitting this...for a brief moment...when I was shot and heard Ethan just crying his lungs out...I was relieved...I feel awful even saying it. What kind of mother feels relief at her baby crying?"

Hershel rested his hand on top of hers. "The same kind of mother that feels relief when she hears her baby cry during the first few minutes of birth...it tells her they are alive...the same kind that has spent every moment thinking there was something wrong with her baby because up to that point he had been so quiet she was afraid he wasn't normal..."

Gwen quickly wiped the tear from her face as it ran down her cheek.

"That doesn't make you a horrible mother...it makes you a worried one..." Hershel squeezed her hand. "Now go and lie down to rest...even if you can't fall asleep just go be still for awhile...give yourself a break."

"Thanks Doc..." Gwen leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before heading back upstairs.

.

Milton and Andrea made their way through the woods, hoping to find shelter before dark but their need to put miles between themselves and Woodbury overpowered that need.

"Smells like smoke...I wonder what's burning..." Andrea remarked.

"Could be anything..." Milton struggled to breath, he wasn't used to exerting energy on the run in this way. He spent most of his time buried in a book or examining walkers. Physical activity was never on the top of his list.

"Just hang in there...we'll find something soon..." Andrea reassured him.

"I sound that bad?" He asked.

"I'm tired too...believe me...I want to find a place as bad as you right now..." Andrea struggled on. She was exhausted and her headache was monsterous. She wasn't sure how much further she'd make it herself before her body gave out but she did her best to push through.

They came upon a clearing and could see the outline of a structure in the dark. Andrea also noticed the few walkers that were wandering in the field between them. She couldn't help but lean forward, resting her hands against her knees. She was in desperate need of a second wind. Andrea looked back at Milton. "You didn't happen to bring us some weapons did you?"

"Uh..." Milton frantically felt his pockets then smiled with a sense of relief as he pulled a sheathed knife from his pocket. "Yes...it's yours, I meant to give it back to you in Woodbury then with all the excitement...I guess I forgot."

Andrea took the knife from him, hooking the sheath the her waistband. "What about you? Did you bring anything for yourself?"

Deflated, Milton looked down at his feet and shook his head. "I told you I'd just slow you down out here...I'm not really a fighter... I'm not prepared..."

"Well you're going to have to learn to be if you are going to survive in this world. Come on...let's go back in the woods a moment and see if we can find anything to use..."

.

Tyrese and Sasha held close to the woodline along the road. Ready to duck in and run in case the Governor or his men came looking for them. Tyrese looked over his shoulder for a moment and suddenly stopped. Sasha continued walking until she realised he was no longer beside her.

"Tyrese?...Tyrese...what are you staring at?" Sasha back tracked until she was standing next to her brother again.

"You see that glow?" He asked as he pointed in the distance.

There was a faint orange glow in the skyline above the trees.

"You think that's coming from Woodbury?..." She was confused as she stared at the light with him.

Tyrese turned to his sister and stared at her for a moment until she looked back at him. "I don't know but it sure looks like it...at least close to it. I didn't know how this day was going to turn out for us...come on, we gotta keep movin'...we ain't safe yet..."

They both turned and proceeded walking again. Sasha grabbed the straps of her back pack and held on, it suddenly felt heavier as she grew tired. "Is there any place safe?"

.

Andrea charged the first walker she came to in the field and drove her knife into it's eye socket. Milton trailed behind her with a large stick, gripping it tightly but scared out of his mind. "Just remember Milton to jab at it with the end...don't swing it like a baseball bat...straight in and straight out or you're libel to break it..."

Milton nodded and swallowed hard. He appreciated Andrea's confidence in him even if he didn't have any of his own.

Andrea charged the next walker, doing almost exactly the same as the others in the field began to take notice. Soon they all began heading in their direction. The closer they drew the more nervous Milton became.

"Andrea..." Milton's voice trailed up in fear as a walker approached him.

She withdrew her knife from under the chin of one, shoving it roughly to the ground. "It's time to grow a set Milton!" She stated as she ran towards the next one.

Milton could feel his own body shaking as the smell of the walker in front of him reached his nose. It hit him like a ton of bricks and he couldn't help but start to gag. At this point it was uncomfortably close and Milton yelled as he jammed the end on his stick into it's face. The walker stilled and started to collapse as Milton practically fell to the ground with it. He struggled to pull the stick out, finally stepping on it's head with his foot to brace it. "Oh God..." Milton remarked as he heard the sound it made on the retraction but quickly he began to smile and looked up towards Andrea, proud of himself. He noticed she was almost out of sight in the darkness. "ANDREA..." Milton called as he ran to catch up with her.

Milton caught up with her at the entrance of an old barn. "I did it...I killed them!" Milton took a few deep breaths.

Andrea tried not to smile but couldn't help herself. "Don't pat yourself on the back yet...we have to make sure this place is clear and up in the hayloft. We can sleep up there tonight and get a move on once it's light..."

.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow! You guys must be mad at me for leaving Merle out of the last chapter. Not hardly any reviews! I figured there would at least be a few cursing me out for keeping you hanging. My fault...I know... :( Sorry I was so cruel to leave him out but I couldn't help myself...hope this is chapter makes up for it.**

**Chapter 8**

Daryl barreled through the smoke filled apartment. Heat from the flames was almost overwhelming and black smoke was making it almost too difficult to see. "MERLE" He was barely able to call out before the smoke choked him. He crouched as low as he could so he could try to breathe and heard a faint coughing sound.

"MERLE? IS...THAT...YOU...CALL OUT!..." Daryl did his best to stifle his own cough so he could listen.

He could hear a voice but couldn't make out if it was Merle or what they were saying but continued on in the direction of the sound. Daryl made out the outline of someone on the floor but it looked too small to be Merle. As he got closer, he could see it was a small girl, maybe a little younger than Sophia. He grabbed hold of her legs and started to pull her up when he felt a hand on his arm. Daryl couldn't help but be startled by it.

"Leave her...she's long dead..." The voice said as Merle came into view. His face was bruised and battered but Daryl quickly grabbed onto him to try to help him to his feet.

Merle cried out in pain. "MY ARM...GO ON..." Merle coughed hard as he tried to speak. "IT'S TOO LATE...GET OUT..."

_Fuck that shit! _Daryl thought to himself as he grabbed hold of his brother and lifted him up. He didn't care how much it hurt him, he was getting him out of there before they both burned up. Merle felt like he weighed a ton but adrenaline surged through Daryl so fast he practically picked him up like a rag doll and dragged him towards the exit. Merle struggled to get his feet underneath him to keep up with Daryl.

.

"It's been too long...I can't hear him anymore..." Rick started to enter the home but Karen grabbed hold of his arm.

"Wait...what if it's too late?..." Karen couldn't help but be worried, she didn't want them both to die from the fire.

"I'm not leaving him...I'll be back..." Rick took off inside, quickly disappearing in the smoke.

Karen took a few steps back from the heat radiating off of the house...She didn't know how they could even stand to go in. She rushed to the end of the building and peered around the corner but couldn't see the Governor or his men. She didn't know if she should be relieved or more worried because of it. As she started to head back she saw Rick, Daryl and Merle come tumbling out of the house. All three men were coughing loudly but trying to muffle the sound to keep from alerting anyone else. Her eyes widened as she noticed Rick's shirt had caught fire.

Karen rushed over towards him, dropping to her knees. "ROLL...YOU'RE ON FIRE!". She began hitting him and throwing dirt onto him as he rolled around to put the fire out.

Soon they heard faint voices coming from the front side of the building. "I think they heard us!" Karen pulled up on Rick's arm to help him then quickly tried to help but Daryl and Merle.

Daryl had wedged himself under Merle's good arm and they all started to rush towards the way they came in.

"I got him!..." Daryl snapped at her. "Come on let's go..."

The four of them rushed back to the opening in the fence. Karen pried back the board as far as she could but Daryl struggled to get Merle through.

"God Dammit could y'all have picked a smaller part of the fence to escape through?" Merle complained as he cringed from the pain.

"Shut up and move Merle!" Rick ordered. "The truck's not far..."

Rick started to struggle to walk. Karen grabbed hold of his arm to help him. "It's not much further, we're almost there." She tried to encourage him.

As they approached the truck all three men were coughing and struggled to breathe.

"You guys are a wreck...give me the keys...I'll drive..." Karen insisted.

Reluctantly Rick handed her the keys as Daryl and Merle climbed into the bed of the truck. Merle moaned and groaned as he laid down and Daryl coughed and hacked as he leaned against the cab and tried to breathe deeply. Rick climbed into cab with Karen and soon they were on their way back towards the prison.

"You did far more than I expected..." Rick told Karen as they headed down the roadway.

Karen glanced over at him, his face was covered in soot and he looked exhausted. "I didn't do much..."

"We wouldn't have gotten Merle out if it wasn't for you...he's important to Daryl..." Rick struggled to sit comfortably, he could feel the skin on his back blistering.

"He's not important to you?" She asked.

"It's complicated...just trying to keep our group together and strong...some are more easy to get along with than others." Rick tilted his head back a moment and closed his eyes. The last twenty four hours had been long and trying. He couldn't help but wonder what the Governor's next move would be.

"Do you think the Governor saw us?". Karen asked.

Rick looked back at Karen. He could see she was worried but he just didn't have any words to comfort her. "I don't know...I guess we'll find out soon enough."

.

Merle looked up at Daryl. His cough had slightly settled. "We ain't done ya know..."

Daryl didn't look at Merle, he just stared out into the darkness. "It ain't ever done with you Merle...ya ain't tellin' me nothin' new..."

Merle started to laugh but pain shot through his side. "Guess I got carried away...shoulda killed him when I had the chance but I wanted to drag it out...make him suffer...killin' him at that moment just seemed too...easy..."

Daryl shook his head. "Yeah ya did...ya coulda ended all this and ya blew it Merle...ya don't ever think about no one but yerself and I'm sick of it..."

Merle struggled to push himself up with his good arm. He breathed hard as to try to get through the pain with every movement. "Well we can't all be perfect like yer buddy Rick."

"DAMMIT MERLE! YA JUST DON'T GET IT!" Daryl tried to continue but began coughing again.

Merle could see the hurt and anger on Daryl's face. He wished he could make Daryl understand but he didn't know how. Daryl coughed and gasped until he was exhausted.

.

Andrea woke shivering from the cold morning air. Soon it would be winter again and they needed to find a permanent shelter to protect them from the cold. Milton fumbled for his glasses and sat up next to her.

"Do you think anyone at the prison survived?...Did they even stand a chance?" Andrea asked.

Milton took off his glasses and began cleaning them with his shirt. He held them up to the light then proceeded in cleaning them again. "I don't know...

"I've thought about them everyday...Phillip knew that...and he knew where they were...never said a word!" Andrea struggled to understand all that had happened.

"I'm sorry...I...if I wasn't such a coward...maybe things would be different." Milton told her.

Andrea turned towards him and rested her hand on his leg. "You...need to stop...feeling sorry for yourself will only get you killed and I know you don't want that."

"You're right..." Milton was amazed by Andrea's strength.

Andrea rose to her feet. "Come on...let's get a move on, see if we can figure out where we are and if there's anything left of the prison."

.

"Daddy! They're back!" Maggie came rushing into the cell block.

Hershel sat up in his bunk and rubbed his eyes. "Are they alright?"

"They seem in one piece for the most part..." Maggie stated as Merle, Daryl, Rick and Karen came staggering in followed quickly by Glenn.

"You all look terrible...let's get everyone settled and I'll take a look..." Hershel stated as Beth came walking up behind him looking sleepy. "Beth, sweetheart go get Gwen...I'm going to need her help."

"I'm already up..."Gwen stated as she came down the stairs with Ethan. Gwen passed Ethan off to Beth so she could help. She looked at all three of them and wasn't sure where to begin.

"Wait...what is she doing here? She's one of them...She attacked us!" Maggie started to charge towards Karen but Rick rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Maggie wait...it's alright...there's a lot to explain but she's ok...she's with us." Rick tried to reassure her.

Maggie shook her head and looked frantically around at everyone. "SHE'S NOT OK...I SAW HER...SHE WAS WILLING TO KILL US!"

Glenn rushed over to Maggie and tried to calm her. "Let's make sure everyone's ok first then we'll sort things out."

"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY NOT BACKING ME ON THIS?" Maggie looked at Glenn wide eyed and stunned. She turned towards Karen. "You try anything and I swear to God..."

"Maggie that's enough...she won't do a thing...will you?" Hershel directed himself to Karen.

"No...I don't want to hurt anyone..." Karen insisted. "I don't blame you for being suspicious..."

Glenn gently rubbed Maggie's back and whispered to her. Her eyes were cold towards Karen.

.

Gwen unhooked Merle's wrist guard and slid it from his arm. Although she tried to be gentle, he still groaned in pain and clenched his fist tight trying his best not to complain. He knew all the pain he felt at that moment, he earned from being careless. Gwen felt around on his arm and he jerked.

"Dammit..." Merle tried to breathe deeply but began coughing. Instantly he clutched his side from the pain.

Gwen wiped some of the soot from his face.

"Almost got myself roasted like a marshmallow..." Merle remarked. "Governor set the whole place on fire..."

"I think your arm is broken...Hershel will have to set it and by the way you are clutching your side I'd say there are probably some broken ribs too...Hershel will listen to your lungs...maybe I'll go to the infirmary and see if I can find any oxygen tanks...all three of you could use it." Gwen continued to focus on Merle's injuries and bruises.

"Gwennie..." Merle wanted her to stop and listen for a moment. "Gwen..." Merle grabbed hold of her forearm. She seemed to sigh in frustration but looked into his eyes. "Ain't ya gonna ask what happened?..."

"No...I want to make sure the three of you are patched up first...the details can come later..." Gwen started to get up but Merle wouldn't let go of her.

"Ya need to know...it ain't over...he's still out there..." Merle hated having those words come out of his mouth but he wanted her to know. He wanted her to be prepared. "I hurt him though...real bad...he ain't gonna get far and he's gonna need time to regroup...I'll hit him again before he can do that..."

"Merle..." Gwen just shook her head. "When will you learn it's not you against the world...look at yourself...what would've happened if Daryl and Rick hadn't gone after you? Tell me...where would things be now?"

Merle didn't speak he just cut his eyes down to the floor.

"You'd be dead...you don't even have to say it...it's written all over your face...you know it and I know it...you've got to stop this Merle against the world behavior...you've got others to think about now. Daryl...me...your son..."

"DON'T TELL ME I AIN'T THINKIN' 'BOUT MY FAMILY...THAT'S WHY I'M DOIN' ALL THIS...TO MAKE Y'ALL SAFE...I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT HAPPENS TO ME...YOU AND DARYL BOTH THINK I'M SOME SELFISH BASTARD BUT I AIN'T...IT AIN'T FOR ME THAT I'M DOIN' THIS..." Merle coughed and hacked a moment then spit on the floor. "Fuckin' Governor..." He clutched his side again in pain.

Gwen squatted down in front of him, resting her hands on his thighs. "Ok..."

Merle brushed his thumb lightly down her cheek but caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye.

Hershel was standing in the doorway. "Hate to interrupt but Gwen I need you to take care of Rick...He's got a nasty burn on his back...it needs to be scrubbed clean but I've already warned him that's gonna be miserable...do you think you could take care of that for me?"

"Of course...afterwards I thought I'd double check the infirmary...see if there's any oxygen tanks for them...to help with their smoke inhalation." Gwen passed by Hershel and rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment.

After she left, Hershel struggled to make his way in, medicine bag in one of his hands as he tried to walk with his crutches. "My favorite patient...ya gonna behave yourself or am I gonna have to have somebody tie ya down this time."

"Funny Doc...I'll be good I promise...ya given out lollipops at the end ain't ya..." Merle joked. Hershel laughed a little as he pushed the stool closer to the bunk to sit down in front of Merle.

"Soon as I'm feelin' better I'm gonna hook ya up real nice there doc...give ya somethin' better than them crutches to get around with..." Merle told him.

"Do I get a weapon with it too or maybe different attachments?" Hershel joked back.

Merle grinned and nodded his head. "How 'bout a bazooka...that might come in handy around here." Both men started to laugh but Merle quickly stopped as he cringed.

"Let me guess...broken ribs too...I think maybe you've broken them all by now..." Hershel told him.

Merle struggled as he tried to take a deep breath. "Probably...how's my baby brother?"

"Gonna keep a close eye on him for a day or so...he's struggling to breathe too much for my likin'...hopefully Gwen will find some oxygen...clean air would do ya all some good...especially him..." Hershel told him as he started to slowly straighten Merle's injured arm.

"God dammit doc...that shit hurts..." Merle complained. "My brother's gonna be alright? Ain't he?"

"Yes Merle...I believe he will...we'll take good care of him..." Hershel continued to manipulate Merle's arm until he cried out followed by a string of profanities. "Worst is over...just had to reset it...MAGGIE COULD YOU COME IN HERE PLEASE?"

Maggie came running to the doorway. "Yes daddy?"

"Why don't you get a sheet and fix it up as a sling for Merle's arm here...We need to do our best to keep it immobile for awhile...you hear that Merle?" Hershel stared firmly at him.

"I hear ya Doc..." Merle rolled his eyes.

Hershel grabbed hold of Merle's shoulder and squeezed gently. Merle glanced at it suspiciously. "I heard what you were saying to Gwen 'bout not caring about yourself and only them...maybe that's the problem...part of taking care of your family is taking good care of yourself...they need you Merle...we all need you...whether everyone want to admit it or not..."

.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Please don't drop off on your reviews now...they are what keep me motivated to write. **

**Chapter 9**

Maggie had positioned herself in one of the damaged towers but couldn't help but worry about Karen. She replayed the previous day's events and didn't understand why they'd even bring her back to the prison. Maggie turned around once she heard someone coming up the stairs.

"Gwen?...Is everything alright?"

"I think so, for now...I just checked in on everyone. Daryl's doing better since I found that oxygen tank... Rick and Merle both refused it, said to give it Daryl." Gwen stated. "Although I did make Merle take a turn with it whether he wanted to or not."

Maggie laughed a little. "I don't know how you handle that man..."

"Merle puts up a lot of walls to hide his true feelings...you just have to get to know the real him...he has his tender moments." Gwen smiled as she looked off past the gate. "Seems quiet..."

"Merle gouged out a man's eye!...not to mention cut off his own hand!...I have a hard time believin' he has tender moments...I wish we knew where the Governor is now...what's in store next..." Maggie looked worried but seemed resilient at the same time.

"I have an idea if you want to hear it..." Gwen told her.

"Sure...why not?" Maggie remarked.

Gwen looked over the side to make sure no one else was in earshot. "Rick, Daryl and Merle aren't going anywhere for at least a few days...it would be stupid for us to wait that long to see what's happening in Woodbury...what do you say about you and me doing a little recon of our own..."

"Go to find the Governor?...Oh they'll never go for us doing that..." Maggie shook her head.

"Then we won't tell them that's what we're doing...supply runs can't stop just because the men are hurt...you and I both are perfectly capable, we're both a good shot, we can handle ourselves...somebody needs to do it."

Gwen could tell Maggie was thinking hard about it. "I don't know...what if something goes wrong?"

"Pretend for a moment that everyone was fine...can you sit there and tell me that they wouldn't be going out there again trying to track the Governor?" Gwen posed.

"No...I can't..."

"I'm not saying we take him on...I'm just saying we go look...see where he stands...if the opportunity arises to take him out then great but if not we at least know what to expect from here out." Gwen told her.

"I hate lying to Glenn...but you're right...someone needs to do it...I'd rather Glenn not know and stay here...to keep an eye on Karen...I don't trust her." Maggie insisted.

"I don't know what to think about her...but I can't imagine what it was like for her playing dead after the Governor gunned down all those people...many were fooled by the Governor's charm while I was in Woodbury...who knows what lies he fed them all to go along with the attack but one thing I do know...those people weren't soldiers...most had never even fired a gun before..." Gwen remarked.

Maggie took a deep breath. "You think I'm being unreasonable?"

"There's nothing wrong with being cautious...let me get back in and take Ethan to see Merle...he's probably up from his nap by now..."

"Ethan or Merle?" Maggie asked as she smiled.

"I meant Ethan but you do have a point..." Gwen laughed.

.

"It's just never enough is it?" Carol sternly asked.

Merle removed his good arm from over his eyes and leaned up to look at her as she stood in the doorway. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Daryl is still coughing from the smoke inhalation..." She started to say but Merle cut her off.

"Hell...so am I and I've got broken ribs and a broken arm to bat...so what?" Merle snapped at her.

"So what?...It's your own fault for going off half cocked in the first place!" Carol couldn't help but become even more angry by his attitude.

"Shiiiit...why don't ya just get outta my face...I had enough of ya anyhow...yer constant jabberin'...no wonder yer old man liked to pummel ya!" Merle laid back and covered his eyes with his arm again.

Carol marched herself to the side of his bunk and kicked the frame of the bunk with her foot.

"HEY!...Watch it!" Merle clutched his arm as if she were trying to kick him.

"You definitely deserve a swift kick! You could've killed Daryl and you could've killed Rick! Do you even realize he has burns on his back because of you? I wish you had died in that fire then they wouldn't have to keep bailing you out of your own trouble!" Carol was fuming.

"That's enough Carol!" Gwen stepped into the cell holding Ethan in her arms. She showed no emotion but her eyes were locked on Carol.

Carol turned to face her but quickly looked embarrassed as her cheeks flushed. She didn't say a word except for "excuse me" as she passed Gwen and walked out of the cell.

Merle grinned wide at her. "Gwennie to the rescue! Don't let nobody speak to her man like that!...Come on over here and give daddy a smooch..."

Gwen leaned over and briefly kissed him on the lips. "Shut your mouth Merle...She was too harsh but she's scared."

"Aw now...you can do better than that...I may have some broken bones but my important bone ain't broke!" Merle raised his eyebrows continuing to grin.

Gwen rolled her eyes and pulled the stool with her foot across to sit close to his bedside. "You are simply impossible..." She sat down and looked at Ethan who was wide awake. His big blue eyes gazed up at her as he cooed a little. Gwen couldn't help but smile at him. "I know...your daddy is crazy..."

Merle's grin quickly dissipated..."Well if ya just came in to bitch then you can march yourself right out too...I'm stayin' down here for a reason...tired of all the naggin' around here!"

"No Merle you're staying down here because you're injured and shouldn't be trying to take the stairs...let's be honest here shall we?" She said with a tone of sarcasm.

Merle quickly grew angry with her. "Well why don't ya say what ya really feel...ya pissed he ain't dead and it's all my fault...I failed...ya think I don't know that?"

"No one is harping on this but you Merle...and we've already discussed this..." Gwen propped Ethan up to sitting on her lap, resting his head against her chest. "Now stop being a jackass in front of your son."

Merle tried not to but he couldn't help but smile a little as Ethan stared at him. He seemed so wide eyed and curious. "He is a handsome devil ain't he? Just like his old pop."

"Well you got the old part right..." Gwen mumbled.

Merle directed his attention back to her and looked at her strangely. "Governor ain't dead yet...Rick's back likely looks like hamburger...Daryl's coughing up a lung and yer 'bout as chipper as a bird...what's got into you?"

Gwen turned Ethan around and held him against her shoulder, cupping his head with her hand. She stood up and shoved the stool back in the corner with her foot. She leaned back over Merle and kissed him softly this time. "You all came back in one piece...mostly...now get some more rest...I'll come back later..."

Gwen walked to the doorway when the sound of Merle's voice stopped her and she looked back.

"Gwennie... why do I get the feelin' yer up to somethin'?" Merle asked.

"Cause you're a paranoid crazy old man!" Gwen stated as she started to walk away.

Merle leaned forward, raising his voice. "THAT AIN'T FUNNY YA KNOW...". Merle laid back down and draped his arm over his eyes again. "Ya better not be up to a damn thing woman!

.

Rick sat on the edge of his bunk and struggled to put on his shirt. Pain radiated with every move but he knew things could've been much worse so he did his best to suffer through it.

"Might as well take that back off... Hershel wants me to put this on your back." Karen stood at the doorway carrying a bowl. "He just made it up and said it needs to go on...doctor's orders..."

"I'll do it in a bit... I need to go talk to Carl...Need to make sure he's alright." Rick stated as he slowly started to button his shirt.

"I just saw him...he's busy feeding Judith so there's time to take care of you..." She insisted.

Rick sighed as he nodded and struggled to take his shirt off.

"Here let me help..." Karen reached for him.

"It's alright...I can do it..." Rick held his hand up to stop her but she ignored him and continued on.

"Now turn around..." Karen instructed.

Reluctantly Rick did as he was told and closed his eyes as she began to administer the salve to the burn on his back. He cringed slightly from the pain.

"I'm sorry...but this will make you feel better in no time...it doesn't look as bad as I expected...that's a good thing." Karen reassured him.

"Thank you...you don't need to be doing this though..." Rick told her.

Karen smiled softly at him. "I know...I wanted to...it's the least I could do...considering."

Rick pulled away from her and turned back towards her. "Gwen filled us in long ago on how the Governor is...how manipulative...no one is going to hold that against you here...Maggie will understand...just be patient."

Karen looked into his eyes as he spoke. She couldn't help but suddenly feel awkward and embarrassed with him sitting so close to her shirtless. She could feel the warmth rush to her cheeks as she cut her eyes away. "Turn back around, I'm not done..." She ordered.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks again for reading and don't forget to review at the end of the chapter!**

**Chapter 10**

Gwen and Maggie were nervous as they headed towards one of the vehicles. They knew everyone would be furious if they knew their real motivation for going on a run but it was a risk they both knew needed to be taken.

"I'm still not 100% sold on this...I can get Carol to watch the gate and I can go with you..." Glenn told them as he followed behind.

Maggie stopped abruptly and turned around. "Do you think we can't handle ourselves out there?...We always need a man with us to be safe?" She cut her eyes over at Gwen and smirked.

Glenn laughed awkwardly. "No of course not...I mean... of course not as in you need a man to be safe...not that you can't handle yourself...because you can...I know you can..."

"Then you have nothing to worry about...we're not going far...I love you..." Maggie told him as she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

Glenn started to walk down towards the gate. "Alright...just be careful..."

Gwen and Maggie climbed into the Suburban, tossing their backpacks in the backseat.

"Are you sure you feel up to this...you feeling all right? From the baby and all?" Maggie asked.

Gwen started the vehicle then looked over to Maggie. "I wouldn't go if I didn't feel up to it Maggie...I wouldn't do you like that...I've got your back."

"I don't doubt that...alright...sometimes when you want something done right...you need to send a woman to do it." Maggie remarked and both women laughed.

.

Tyrese and Sasha located an abandoned cabin in the woods not far from Woodbury. They wanted to put more distance between them and the town but they needed to come up with some sort of a plan of where they should go. The cabin was well hidden and they almost missed it themselves. They felt safe for the time being. Sasha had woken first and checked the perimeter around the cabin to insure there were no walkers or signs of anyone else. She tried to be quiet as she entered back into the cabin but Tyrese quickly jumped to his feet.

"Relax...it's just me..." Sasha told him as he rubbed his eyes. He felt sluggish as he struggled to fully wake up.

"I don't know how you do it...you've always been able to manage on the smallest amount of sleep...I feel like I could sleep for days and still not think that's enough..." He told her.

Sasha smirked. "That's because you're getting to be an old man..."

"You're not that much younger, ya know..." Tyrese replied back. "Do you think we should've gone back?"

"To Woodbury?...I don't know...part of me wants to know what happened after we left but then a part of me doesn't..." Sasha told him. "What about you?"

Tyrese sighed deeply then laid back down on the cot, tucking his arm behind his head. "Everything just seemed to happen so fast...Martinez looked as if he had seen a ghost or something...I can't shake the feelin' that something really bad happened and us going back wouldn't have helped anyone, especially ourselves..."

"Well if that's how you feel about it..." Sasha started to gather her things.

Tyrese sat back up and looked at her confused. "It's not just about how I feel...what about you?"

Sasha stopped and looked at him. Her eyes started to fill with tears but she choked them back. "I think we should go back...sneak back I mean...those people were counting on us to protect them...I feel like we just abandoned them to save ourselves...why else would Martinez not want us gathered with the others...something horrible happened...I just know it."

Tyrese gathered up his things and started for the door. "Well then that's what we'll do...but the first sign of danger...we high tail it out of there. We can't be any help to anyone if we get ourselves killed..."

.

Gwen slowed the Suburban as the passed by the vehicles left by the Governor's men and saw the bodies strewn on the roadway and the field. They both had heard what happened but seeing it first hand was still shocking. It was clear by the way they were laying some were running away, shot in the back as they ran for their life. A life cut short by an angry Governor.

"That just makes me want to be sick..." Maggie said softly.

"Rick said this was where they picked up Karen..." Gwen remarked.

Tears welled up in Maggie's eyes as she stared out the window, she even looked over her shoulder as drove past. Quickly she turned back around, facing forward she wiped a single tear from her cheek.

"Are you alright?" Gwen asked.

Maggie nodded. "Just thinking how awful that would be if it were the people I loved...having to lie with them and watch them die...unable to do anything..."

They both remained silent the rest of the drive until eventually Gwen pulled off on the side of the road. "Maggie we're gonna have to hoof it from here so no one sees us approaching."

They exited the vehicle and cut into the woods. Gwen had a rifle slung over her shoulder and Maggie had a pistol holstered by her hip, they both were armed with knives. They wanted to try to remain as quiet as possible if they came across any walkers so they wouldn't alert anyone in earshot they were nearby.

Maggie tapped Gwen on the arm and pointed off to the left at two walkers staggering through the trees. Neither seemed aware of the women but Gwen watched as they suddenly tilted their heads up in the air, looking frantically around as if they had caught a whiff of their "live" scent.

"Take the right..." Gwen ordered as the walkers took notice and started to make their way towards them. Gwen didn't hesitate as she charged forward, slamming her knife into the forward of one as Maggie ran towards the other, grabbing hold of it's shirt and plunged her knife deep into the side of it's head. Both walkers dropped to the ground as the women quickly caught their breath. Soon they realized their triumph was short lived as they noticed it was just two slightly ahead of a small herd headed their way.

"There's too many...run..." Gwen told her as she started to run.

Both women ran as fast as they could in an attempt to put as much distance between themselves and the walkers. Soon they came to a slight clearing and Gwen looked over her shoulder just before slowing down.

"Maggie..." Gwen gasped as she tried to catch her breath. It had been a long time since she had done any running and it was taking it's toll.

Maggie stopped and leaned forward with her hands against her knees as she took a few deep breaths. She was in better shape than Gwen but couldn't help but be winded.

"Man...that was somethin'..." Maggie remarked.

Still out of breath, Gwen started to walk. "Woodbury is just beyond that clearing ahead."

Slowly they walked as they tried to recuperate from their mad dash and Gwen lowered the rifle strap from her shoulder. She drew back the bolt to make sure there was a cartridge in the chamber. She gripped it firmly, ready to take aim as soon as she needed and Maggie took queue of her actions and unholstered her pistol.

Suddenly Gwen started to pick up speed.

"Wait what's wrong?" Maggie asked as she took off after her. Both women ran into the clearing and Gwen abruptly stopped.

"Oh my God!..." Maggie uttered as she stood there with her jaw open.

Gwen was silent, as she began to walk forward, amazed at the sight before her.

All that remained of Woodbury was charred debris...

.

"I know they said the Governor set his home on fire leaving Merle to die but I didn't expect all this...everything's been burned...everything..." Gwen just stared in awe at what was left of the buildings around her. She and Maggie continued to walk through Woodbury's main street.

Maggie hadn't seen Woodbury before but still she was shocked to see it in shambles. "Why would they do this? I don't understand...do you think the fire just spread, like this was just an out of control accident?"

"I don't know why...but it's no accident...these buildings were burned on purpose..." Gwen couldn't help but be angry. She never liked Woodbury and always wanted to leave with Merle but now that it was completely gone she couldn't help but feel a little lost. It was where her relationship with Merle changed. It was where she conceived their son.

"How do you know?" Maggie couldn't take her eyes off of the buildings.

Gwen stepped through the door frame of one of the buildings. "See the color variation on what's left of the walls and framework?...That's where they used accelerant..."

"How do you know that?" Maggie questioned.

"Before I tried going to nursing school I toyed with becoming a medic for the fire department...I went on dozens of ride-alongs but realized I didn't want to work out in the field like that..." She told her.

"I feel like I've known you for so long but yet I know so little about you...ya don't really realize it until stuff like this comes up." Maggie told her as she turned and walked back out of the building. "This is just so...sad..."

"My life before doesn't even feel like my life anymore...it's a whole new world and we all have whole new lives..." Gwen stepped out and stood next to her. They both just stared at the other buildings remains.

"I don't want to be here anymore...I think we should leave..." Maggie insisted. "Looks like everyone is long gone anyways..."

Both Gwen and Maggie headed across the street back towards where they entered the town. Maggie turned down by one of the buildings still standing although black from soot but quickly froze as she stared down the barrel of a gun...

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	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well this chapter is longer than the others...I usually try to keep them all around the same length (ish) just because it helps me keep the structure in my thought process but people have told me before they wish they were longer. I will try it out some and see how it works for my brain! ;) Thanks for taking the time to review!**

**Chapter 11**

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Daryl walked outside and took a deep breath of fresh air but started coughing again as he rested his hand against his chest. He felt better but the cough still lingered a bit. Being outside in the sunshine helped. The prison yard was quiet. It was hard to believe only a couple of days ago there was chaos all around with countless gunfire. Daryl didn't like knowing the Governor was still out there but hopefully Merle had decommissioned him enough to where he wouldn't dare try another attack. There was no more time for resting...it was time to get back to work.

"Feelin' better I take it?" Glenn called down to him from one of the towers.

Daryl shielded his eyes with his hand from the sun as he squinted to see Glenn. "Feels like I chain smoked a carton of cigarettes...wouldn't be the first time though...otherwise I'm good...seems awfully quiet around here today..."

"Carol's by the fence line killing walkers, everyone else should be in the cell block or close by I think...well except Gwen and Maggie..." Glenn replied.

"Where they at?" Daryl asked.

"Went on a supply run...few hours ago...they should be back any minute..." Glenn told him.

Daryl dropped his hand from his eyes. "THEY DID WHAT?...BY THEMSELVES?"

"Yeah...I wasn't too keen on the idea myself but..." Glenn started to speak but before he had a chance to finish, Daryl was marching back towards the cell block.

.

"Feelin' alright? How's your back?" Carl asked Rick as he was sitting on his bunk, holding Judith as she slept. Rick stood in the doorway of his cell.

Rick couldn't help but laugh a little to himself. Carl seemed to have grown up so fast, almost as if overnight. "I think I'm the one supposed to be asking you how you're doin'..."

Rick entered and sat next to him. He couldn't help but cringe a little because of the pain of his back. "I'm alright...I'll be as good as new in no time...but what I really wanted to talk to you about was the boy...in the woods..."

Carl bowed his head a little and fixed his eyes on Judith. "Nothin' to talk about...I did what I had to do and protected the group..."

"Was he surrendering Carl?" Rick hated to ask but he needed to know.

Carl looked up at his father, all the innocence that used to stare back at Rick was now gone. "I did what I had to do...think about all the people from our group we've lost because we didn't step up and do what needed to be done...I stepped up...I protected everyone...I protected Judith..."

Rick was at a loss for words. He sighed deeply and covered his hand over his mouth for a moment as he thought. Ultimately though he realized there was no one to blame for it except himself. "I'm sorry you felt you had to do that...I'm sorry I put you in that position..."

"You told me to protect them...so that's what I did..." Carl said matter-of-factly.

Rick leaned forward against his elbows on his knees and rubbed his face in his hands for a moment. He felt like Carl had lost his entire childhood and he didn't know if there was even a way for him to get it back. This new world would turn him cold and emotionless if he wasn't careful. He couldn't let that happen to Carl but he also had no idea of how to prevent it.

Rick heard Daryl call out for him in the cell block. He stood up and stood in the doorway.

"It's not a good time right now Daryl...I'm in the middle of talking to Carl..." Rick stated but Daryl quickly interrupted him.

Daryl was doing his best to stifle his anger but it almost seemed to ooze out of him uncontrollably. "You tell Gwen and Maggie to go on a supply run by themselves?"

"What?...No...What are you talking about?" Rick looked at him confused.

"I just heard from Glenn they ain't here...gone on a run...what the hell?" Daryl rubbed his chin with his hand seeming confused by how they had managed to leave without Rick knowing.

"Who else knows about this?" Rick asked.

"I did..." Hershel remarked as he came walking up behind Daryl with his crutches. "Judith is almost out of formula and I wasn't sure how long you two were going to be out of commission...they volunteered to go so I let them..."

"Glenn was ok with this?" Rick asked Hershel.

"Maggie doesn't need Glenn's permission to do something for the good of the group...they are perfectly capable women...they can handle themselves and they said they weren't going far...I have faith they'll be just fine..." He continued.

Daryl started to storm off but immediately walked back over to Hershel and Rick. "And you think NOW is a good time for them show how tough they are out there on their own? That's bullshit...it's too dangerous...the Governor's still out there..."

"Now Daryl calm down...Merle said he hurt the Governor pretty bad...wounded his leg and gouged out his eye...he's not going to bounce back but so quickly from that...we can't stop doing the things we need to do just because you all are down and out..." Hershel told them.

"I really wish you had checked with me first on this Hershel...I don't like it any more than Daryl does..." Rick replied.

"You all were sleeping when they came to me...I think I've lived enough years to make an occasional decision on my own Rick..." Hershel remarked.

"Well I can tell ya right now, ya better not let my brother find out..." Daryl shook his head.

"Find out what?" Merle stood a short distance behind Hershel just outside of his cell. He looked none too pleased but clearly had yet to learn what they were arguing about.

Beth came walking into the cell block carrying Ethan against her shoulder. "What's going on?" She asked innocently with a smile.

Merle looked over at her and his eyes widened when he realized she was carrying Ethan. Merle looked back over to Daryl, Rick and Hershel as he clenched his jaw.

"Shit!" Daryl said softly under his breath.

Merle adjusted the sling around his broken arm and stepped closer to the men. "Somebody better tell me what the fuck is goin' on right now..."

.

Maggie stood still, gripping her gun tightly as it rested by her side. Gwen was a short distance behind her with her rifle pointed at the woman that had Maggie at gunpoint. A large man stood behind the woman pointing his own gun at Gwen.

"Let's all stay calm but you need lower your rifle away from my sister..." Tyrese ordered.

Gwen held steady with her finger barely touching the trigger, ready to fire if need be as she had the woman in her sights. "Tell your sister to lower hers first..."

"I'm not going to that..." Sasha angrily replied.

Gwen focused as hard as she could to control her breathing so her nerves would stay calm and she wouldn't start to shake. "Then I'd say we have a big problem here..."

"Who are you people?" Sasha asked as her eyes darted between the scope of her rifle at Maggie and Gwen.

"I'm the person that's going to blow your head off if you pull that trigger...I won't miss...is your brother that good of a shot because if he's not he'll be next if ya make the wrong move here..." Gwen sternly replied.

"I think everybody just needs to calm down...mister we don't mean any harm...why don't you lower your gun away from my friend here and they can lower theirs at the same time...let's just relax and talk for a moment...I don't think anybody wants to hurt anybody here..." Maggie tried to speak calmly but she could feel her knees shaking.

"I think that's a good idea...see...I'm putting my gun back in the holster..." The man slowly re-holstered his weapon then raised his hands up in the air.

Sasha quickly pointed her gun at Gwen and Maggie saw Gwen out of the corner of her eye tighten her shoulders.

"WAIT..." Maggie and Tyrese both screamed as they held out their hands towards Gwen and Sasha.

"Don't shoot...you both need to lower your weapons..." Maggie ordered.

Tyrese gently reached for Sasha and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Nobody needs to die today..." He looked over his shoulder at Gwen as she and Sasha locked eyes. "I don't think you want to kill anyone either...now please...both of you...enough of this..."

"Gwen...please...think about your baby..." Maggie insisted.

Reluctantly both woman relaxed their shoulders as they slowly lowered their weapons but their eyes never left one another. Both Maggie and Tyrese let out a big sigh of relief.

"My name's Tyrese and this is my sister Sasha...what are you two doing here...what happened here?"

"I think it's pretty obvious someone burned the town..." Gwen said coldly.

"Tyrese...Sasha...I'm Maggie...what my friend Gwen here is saying is that someone set fire to this place but we're not exactly sure why...we came to see if anyone was left...we're just as surprised as you are to find this place like this." Maggie shot Gwen a look and mumbled to her under her breath trying to get her to be nice.

"You have anything to do with this?" Sasha asked as she stared at Gwen.

"Nope...did you?.." Gwen shot back at her.

Maggie and Tyrese both looked at each other exasperated. "Maybe you two should leave the talking to us..." Tyrese looked at Gwen and Sasha as he gestured towards Maggie.

"What are you doing here?" Maggie asked

Tyrese looked at Sasha and she just shrugged at him. "Well...we stayed here briefly...but the last few days things just got out of control so we thought it best to leave..."

Maggie and Gwen both looked at one another then back at Tyrese and Sasha.

"So then you know the Governor..." Gwen stated. "Have you seen him?"

"Uh...no..." Tyrese looked at her confused. "Did everything burn?"

Gwen started to back up. She extended her arm out and away from her body to guide them into the town. "See for yourself...the Governor did quite a bit of handy work..."

Reluctantly Tyrese and Sasha followed Gwen and Maggie to the end of the alley. They let both women stay ahead of them, both Gwen and Sasha still gripping their rifles tightly. Once they walked far enough to see the majority of the town, Tyrese and Sasha's jaws dropped. Tyrese was silent and couldn't believe his eyes. When they approached Woodbury they could see it had burned debris of some of the buildings but to be staring down the main street at the heart of everything made them realize how much in shambles the town really was.

"It's everything...the whole town...it's destroyed..." Sasha remarked as she stepped forward past Gwen and Maggie. "Oh my God...the people...where are all the people?" She turned back and looked at her brother then to both Maggie and Gwen.

"I suspect they met the same fate as the others..." Maggie told them.

Tyrese looked at her confused. "What others?..."

"Come on...we'll show you..." Maggie told him.

"Wait...Maggie...why don't you and I have a little chat over here a moment..." Gwen nodded her head to the side at Maggie.

Maggie walked over towards her as Tyrese walked up to Sasha and put his arms around her.

"What are you doing?" Gwen whispered.

Maggie kept her voice down as she leaned closed to Gwen. "They weren't involved in the attack but they should see what he did..."

"They are seeing what he did...let's just go and leave them to go back where ever they came from...we don't need to give them a tour of the Governor's destruction." Gwen couldn't help but get frustrated.

"Look at their faces...they didn't know a thing about this...they weren't part of the attack but they clearly cared about the people that lived in this town...you said yourself they weren't soldiers..." Maggie argued.

Gwen shook her head. "You were ready to throw Karen out of the prison gates but now you want to invite these people to come back with us?"

"I'm not saying that...not yet at least... and that was different...Karen was part of the attack...we can find out more about them on the way to where the Governor left those people...they have a right to know...they're going to have to see it to really believe it...I don't think they're dangerous...one of us can ride in the front with one and the other can ride in the back with the other...we'll keep an eye on them..." Maggie insisted.

"Fine...but you've completely lost your mind..." Gwen said angrily.

Maggie snapped back at her. "Yeah...well you're just as stubborn as Merle..."

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	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry for the delay but with the holiday coming up I haven't had as much time to write. Hopefully though since this weekend is an extended one I'll be able to bang out a few more chapters! Please Review! Thanks again for your support!**

**Chapter 12**

Sasha stood there...staring at the lifeless bodies of her fellow townsmembers of Woodbury. Many bodies riddled full of bullet holes, some with head wounds, clearly put down after they turned. No words could describe the shock and awe she felt.

"It's getting late, it will be dark soon...how much longer should we wait?" Gwen whispered to Maggie as they both leaned against the vehicle.

Maggie chewed on her nails. "I'm not sure...we still need to round up some supplies...I'm not walking back into that prison empty handed with two strangers..."

"It's going to be hard enough explaining bringing them back...you sure you still want to?" Gwen asked.

Maggie paused for a long moment. "Yes...no...I mean yes...but no I'm not sure...I just can't leave them out here in good conscience either...I don't see there being another choice. They lost their home...everyone they knew...I'd want someone to take us in if we were in their shoes..."

"Alright then...I'll say something to them both...we need to try to make it back before it gets completely dark.." Gwen started to walk towards Tyrese and Sasha.

.

"Merle...Where are ya going?" Hershel asked as he trailed after him.

Merle's whole body ached but the anger he felt helped numb the pain. "Don't try and stop me old man! I'm goin' after 'em and when I find 'em I'm gonna ring both their necks!"

Carol stood in the doorway, blocking Merle's way.

"If ya don't move I'll make ya...don't think I won't!" Merle snapped.

Carol stood strong and looked sternly at Merle, almost daring him to try. "As much as I'd love having you out of this cell block you're in no condition to do anything, let alone handle yourself out there."

"Shit...ain't nothing but a few bruises...now MOVE!" Merle couldn't help but cringe from the pain in his side when he breathed deeply to raise his voice. "I'm goin' and that's final."

"She's right Merle...you're not in any position to defend yourself let alone help Maggie and Gwen if they need it...going out there will just make matters worse..." Rick stated as he approached.

Merle turned around and glared at Rick. "Shut up Officer Friendly...this is yer damn fault anyhow!"

"How is that?" Rick asked.

"Ain't ya supposed to be in charge here?... Can't even keep yer own people in line!"

Rick shook his head. "As much as I hate they went out on their own it's not like we wouldn't still be making supply runs ourselves if we were in better shape...we can only hope they keep themselves safe and give them a chance to come back..."

Merle laughed a little to himself. "So just sit back and wait? That's yer solution?"

"Shut up Merle!" Daryl barked.

Merle looked at Daryl with his jaw dropped almost not believing his own ears. Daryl walked over and stood next to Carol blocking his way.

"What did ya just say to me?" Merle asked in disbelief. He could feel the blood rush to his face.

Daryl didn't back down. He stepped forward and was inches from Merle. "All we done lately is risk our lives for you...it's 'bout time ya start listenin'...Gwen and Maggie will have some explainin' but they'll be back...they will..."

Merle gritted his teeth. He looked around at all the faces that surrounded him and grunted before heading back to his cell, mumbling under his breath. "I swear she better hope nothin' happens to her out there cause I'm gonna kill her myself!"

.

Gwen sat in the back with Sasha as Maggie drove and Tyrese sat up front. Neither one of them said much the rest of the trip. They found a small store with a few supplies. It wasn't much but it was better than going back empty handed.

"You alright?" Gwen asked.

Sasha continued to stare forward as she answered. "Yeah...I guess...I just can't believe he slaughtered them all...those poor people...they didn't deserve to be cut down like that..."

"They attacked our camp...they weren't at the top of my favorite list but I don't think they deserved what they got...The Governor has proven how merciless he is..." Gwen remarked.

"Where is he now?" Sasha asked coldly.

"Who knows...but hopefully long gone from here...although I can't imagine we'll be so lucky..." Gwen answered.

Sasha finally looked over at her. Her eyes were filled with tears and she looked exhausted. "Your friend said something about a baby...back when we were in Woodbury..."

Gwen couldn't help but smile to herself a little. "Yeah... I have a son...born just a few weeks ago."

Sasha's eyes widened. "Wow! A newborn?...I can't imagine the pressure you must be under...I'd be a wreck worrying about keeping him safe! How are you feeling...physically I mean?"

"Surprisingly good...honestly I thought the aftermath would be much worse but it's not...I feel strong...but you're right about being a nervous wreck...every day is a challenge but if he inherited his father's genes then I don't need to..." Gwen replied.

"So he's still alive too?...That's wonderful...you're very lucky..." Sasha remarked.

Gwen nodded. "I didn't think I would ever feel lucky in this world but I do..."

.

"Sounds like those two have put aside their differences..." Tyrese remarked as he glanced over his shoulder.

Maggie glanced up in the rear view mirror and smiled. "She's really not that difficult...she's just protective...she's been through alot..."

"I really appreciate you taking us both in...we'll do whatever we need to to pull our own weight..." Tyrese added.

Maggie sighed deeply. "About that...I don't know how welcoming the others will be...they'll be none too happy when we roll up with you two...ultimately it will be up to Rick if you stay."

"Rick? He's the leader of your group?" He asked.

"Yes...he's been through alot recently too only didn't come out as well as Gwen and Merle and their baby did...so much has happened...just listen to him...answer whatever questions he has and know whatever he decides he wants to put our safety first..." Maggie told him.

"Don't worry...we'll understand...if he decides we can't stay all I ask is y'all let us get a good night sleep before we have to go..." Tyrese insisted.

Maggie pulled up to the gate of the prison just as Glenn started to open it. Her stomach couldn't help but turn as she dreaded the others response.

.

Rick stood over Gwen and Maggie as they sat next to one another at a table outside the cell block. He stared harshly at both of them. "Where did you find those people...you two have been gone way too long for a simple supply run...and you better tell me the truth!"

Maggie and Gwen looked at one another waiting to see if the other would take the lead.

"Both of you look at me...not to each other...if you haven't gotten your story straight by now it's too late for that...one of you start talking." Rick ordered.

"We went to Woodbury..." Gwen replied.

Rick remained silent and just glared at her. Gwen couldn't help but feel self conscious and thought she'd rather have him yelling at her than just standing there in silence.

"We knew you wouldn't approve that's why we didn't ask." Gwen continued.

"So you lied...the supply run was just a cover?" Rick couldn't help but looked hurt by their dishonesty.

Maggie wanted Rick to understand. "It wasn't just an excuse...we did bring back supplies, maybe not as many as we should have but we ran into those people out there and before we knew it the time just got away from us..."

Rick just shook his head as he stared down at the floor for a moment. "And what if you had run into the Governor? What then? Would you two have planned to take him on? What if you had been captured or worse...how would we have even known where to begin looking for you two. This was reckless and completely careless on both your parts."

"We couldn't just sit around...you, Daryl and Merle...you are all a mess right now...we needed to know what was going on and how we could best prepare ourselves...there wasn't time to wait for you all to get better. Rick, we didn't want to be deceitful but we didn't think you all would be reasonable about it." Gwen added.

"So this was your idea of reasonable? Neither one of you are going on a run together from here on out until I say otherwise...is that clear?" Rick snapped.

"What about those people? Are you going to let them stay?" Maggie asked.

Rick paced back and forth for a moment as he ran his hand across his beard. "I need more time to think...you two have my blood boiling so bad right now I can't think straight...come on Maggie...you can come with me and help me get them settled in cell block D...if they want to stay the night they have to surrender all their weapons...we'll revisit this in the morning after everyone has had a chance to think about it. If they aren't willing to give up their weapons then they can march out that gate right now..."

"That's fair..." Maggie stood and walked towards Rick.

Gwen started to get up but Rick stopped her. "You're not finished here...Merle wants to talk to you..."

Slowly Gwen sat back down and bit her lip. Just as Rick and Maggie walked outside, she noticed Merle had been standing in the doorway just outside of the cell block...he had listened to the whole thing.

"Go ahead...I know you're dyin' to get it out of your system Merle...scream at me all you want..." Gwen told him.

Merle smirked a little as he slowly walked over towards hers. "Yer lucky I don't believe in beaten up women cause right now there's nothing I'd rather do to ya...what the fuck were you thinkin'? Merle was pissed but to her surprise his voice was calm and under control.

"Do you mean to tell me that if you weren't injured you wouldn't have been right out there...looking for the Governor? Trying to figure out what his next move was?" Gwen asked.

"Course I would..." Merle said defensively. "He ain't gettin' away again...but that's different..."

"Why? You and Daryl go scout out the Governor or Maggie and I? What's the difference?" Gwen couldn't help but become a little agitated. She understood Rick being angry for not knowing where they were really going but she didn't like Merle treating her as if she couldn't handle herself.

"That ain't the same thing and ya know it!" Merle argued.

"Ok then why not?" Gwen insisted.

"Cause...it just ain't...now shut the hell up woman!" Merle barked.

"You shut up...have you looked in the mirror? We shouldn't have lied in hind sight but what we did wasn't wrong...You are a big mess...A MESS!... a broken arm, broken ribs and who knows how many bumps and bruises. You're just being stubborn...Maggie and I were careful...that's a word that's never been much in your vocabulary...so yeah...you know what, you are right...it is different because we are more likely to stay alive after..." Gwen argued.

Merle clinched his jaw. If Gwen didn't know better she would be afraid of Merle by the look on his face.

"You know Merle...usually you have plenty of things to say but today you don't...it's because you know I'm right...you're just mad that Maggie and I did it instead of you..." Gwen smirked as she folded her arms across her chest. "That's why you're being so calm about this instead of your usual hot head self."

"Is that right?" Merle snapped back sarcastically.

Gwen stepped closer towards him and slipped her arms over his shoulders. Gently she ran her hand up the back of his neck and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Don't be trying to sweeten up to me..." Merle said softly and unconvincingly.

"I wouldn't dream of it..." Gwen kissed him softly on the mouth and he eagerly returned the kiss.

Merle gently pulled away from her. "Yer an evil woman ya know that?" Merle grinned slightly as he teased her but soon his face grew serious. "So Miss Tough Shit...ya gonna tell me what ya found out?"

"He's gone...for now at least...there was no sign of anyone there with the exception of Sasha and Tyrese...He burned that whole town Merle...it's gone...a few charred buildings still stand but he's gone...that on top of him killing practically everyone in the town there's no one left to back him..." Gwen told him.

"Maybe...but I'm sure he kept a select few alive...he may be gone for now but it won't be forever...he won't let this go...he'll wait...wait until he can regroup and we think he's gone for good...then he'll strike us again...he ain't one to forget and move on...he just ain't." Merle insisted.

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	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Merle was restless. He wanted the luxury of tossing and turning in his sleep but his broken arm prevented it. At least six weeks...that's what Hershel told him it would take to heal, assuming he rested most days and didn't put any strain on it. Laying around all day was driving him crazy and he had barely been at it a week.

The prison was dark and quiet. It wasn't Merle's first time in the joint but he thought it ironic how he had slept better there than he had in a long time. He didn't want to admit it to anyone but Rick had done good finding and clearing it out. Sure there were still areas that needed work but for the most part they were safe. Merle knew however safe they felt that they couldn't completely let their guard down.

He looked over at Gwen as she slept soundly. He was still angry at her for going to Woodbury but he knew she was right. He would've done the same thing and maybe she was smarter about it than him but again it was something he would never admit to her.

Merle nudged her gently repeatedly until she woke up.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Gwen mumbled.

"Ain't nothing wrong...but I can't sleep." Merle replied.

Gwen fought with her blanket for a moment then struggled to sit up. "What?...Wait...you woke me up because you couldn't sleep? You gotta be kidding me..." Gwen flopped back down on the mattress and covered her head with the blanket.

"Well now that yer up...wanna fool around?" Merle smirked as he asked.

Gwen abruptly pulled the blanket down and looked at him. Her hair was disheveled and in her face but Merle couldn't help but think how sexy she looked.

"Did you really just wake me up to ask me to fool around?" Gwen asked.

Merle widely grinned. "It's been awhile...I can't sleep so what else is there to do...ain't like we gotta have sex if ya ain't ready...I'll settle for other things..."

"You're a jackass...ya know that?" Gwen looked at him irritated.

Merle just continued to smile. "Yeah I know...but you love every bit of it...now come on..."

Ethan began to stir and whimper in his crib. Gwen got up and lifted him out of the crib and sat back down next to Merle on the mattress.

"Well look who else is awake...you're a hungry boy aren't you." Gwen sweetly remarked.

"Yep...I sure am..." Merle chimed.

"Shut up Merle..." Gwen remarked as she held Ethan to her breast.

Merle sat up up and gently stroked his head. "What's the big idea cock blockin' yer old man?!...huh?".

Merle leaned in and briefly kissed Gwen.

"That's my boy..." Gwen laughed.

.

"I hope this works and I don't regret letting you stay..." Rick told Tyrese and Sasha the next morning.

"We'll pull our weight...you won't be sorry." Tyrese tried to reassure him.

Sasha spoke up as well. "We do appreciate it..."

Rick handed them each a long wooden stake. "Walkers are starting to build up at the fence line...we head down there as often as we need to daily and thin them out. Beth's down there now..."

"We'll help her out." Tyrese didn't let him finish as he took both stakes, giving one to Sasha.

The headed out of the cell block and outside into the prison yard. The sun was bright and almost blinding as Sasha shielded her eyes from the sun.

"You know, Woodbury was picturesque but I feel better about this place...a prison of all things." Sasha laughed to herself.

Tyrese rested his hand against her back. "I know...I think this will be good for all of us..."

.

"You're still mad at me?" Maggie asked as she approached Glenn from behind in the tower.

Glenn didn't bother to turn around. He just stared out towards the woods. "I guess you could say that..."

Maggie sighed as she slipped her arms around his waist, pressing against his back as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry...I should've been honest with you with what we were doing..."

"Yes you should have...I didn't like the idea of you two being the only ones on a supply run but I trusted you...and now that I know it was because you wanted to go to Woodbury to find the Governor...I don't even know what to say..." Glenn rested his hand on top of one of hers.

"What can I do?" Maggie asked.

Glenn turned around to face her and rested his forehead against hers. "Promise me you won't ever keep a secret from me again...no matter what..."

"I can do that...but I had something else in mind as well..." Maggie smiled as she leaned slightly away from him and began to unzip his pants.

.

Gwen woke up from the light streaming into her cell. She rubbed her eyes as she struggled to fully wake up but soon realized Merle was no longer in the cell with her. She got up and looked in the crib. Ethan just stared up at her.

"Whatcha doin' there? Where's your daddy run off to, huh?" She scooped him up, resting him on her shoulder as she headed down the stairs. She followed the voices that echoed in the cell block.

"Now you need to hold still until it fully sets..." Hershel instructed as he washed plaster from his hands.

Merle sat at one of the tables with a fresh cast on his arm.

"Now you know that's supposed to help keep that bone stable while it heals...not a new weapon for you to be hitting things with..." Gwen remarked as she sat down near Merle.

"Morning sweet cheeks...that one hell of a bed head ya got there.

Gwen rolled her eyes and quickly brushed her hair down with one hand.

Merle leaned closer and spoke softly. "You know it's a shame ya got that "just been fucked" looked without the pleasure of it..."

"You sure know how to sweet talk a lady..." Gwen stated sarcastically.

"Take care of yourself Merle because it will only get worse if you don't...I can't have you using up all our medical supplies." Hershel smirked.

"I gotcha old man...don't worry...I plan on bein' as good as new real soon..." Merle nudged Gwen with his knee.

Hershel gathered up his things and exited the cell block.

"Ya don't have no more hair brained ideas to go off and do today, do ya?" Merle asked Gwen.

Gwen shot him a look. "No...I'm staying right here..."

"Good..." Merle got up and kissed her before he started to head outside.

"Where are you going?" Gwen asked.

Merle didn't turn around as he headed out. "To find my brother..."

.

Daryl coughed slightly between swings of the axe. Carol walked up but he continued chopping wood, not stopping even as she spoke.

"You sure you should be doing that? Your cough is still lingering..."

Daryl placed another log on the stump and split it in half with one blow. "Gotta be done...ain't going to quit working just because of a little cough."

Carol rested her hands on her hips in disapproval. "You push yourself too hard..."

Daryl stopped for a moment and turned towards her. "Nights are turning cold again...winter will be here before we know it.". He turned back and threw the cut pieces of wood into a pile. "Don't want to be out here in the freezing cold doing this..."

"You going to chop down the whole woods?" Carol smiled.

"If I have to..."Daryl remarked as he continued.

"Well ain't this sweet?" Merle chirped at he approached.

Carol looked at him and glared. "Daryl I'll talk to you later. Don't over do it..." She turned away and walked back towards the building.

"So...when ya gonna hit that?..." Merle laughed.

Daryl dropped the head of the axe to the ground as he held onto the handle. "What do you want Merle?"

"I'm just sayin'...she's burnin' between them legs for you somethin' fierce...hell she'd probably put a hurtin' on ya but it'd do ya good to get laid once in awhile." Merle continued.

"Got more important things to worry about Merle..." Daryl started to swing back the axe to continuing chopping wood but as he did, Merle grabbed it just under the head and jerked it away from him.

"HEY, GIVE IT BACK!" Daryl fussed.

"Would ya quit yer cryin'...I'm tryin' to talk to ya..." Merle insisted.

Daryl huffed but stood there and stared at Merle.

"Lots happened...I just...hell...I ain't good at this..." Merle grew frustrated.

Daryl just stared at him confused.

"Well...you know what I'm tryin' to say, right?" Merle asked.

"Whatever...gimmee back the axe...I'm busy..." Daryl reached for it but Merle took a couple of steps back. "Quit dickin' around Merle..."

"Who pissed in yer oatmeal this mornin'?" Merle furrowed his brow as he watched Daryl grow more agitated.

"What do you want from me Merle?"

Merle grew angry and tossed the axe on the ground by Daryl's feet. "HERE!...Just tryin' to say thank you for what ya did for me...nevermind then..." Merle stomped off as he started to leave.

"Merle... MERLE,...Wait!..." Daryl rushed after him.

Reluctantly, Merle stopped and turned back towards his brother. Daryl approached him, chewing on the skin around his nails."

"Yer gonna gnaw off them fingers one day little brother..."

Daryl jerked his hand away almost as if he was surprised he was doing it. "I just thought...it's nothin'...I shoulda let ya talk..."

Merle laughed and shook his head. "You know...I know what you all think of me...just puttin' up with me here cause of Gwen and my boy...I had a chance to get rid of the Governor for good and I blew it! Ya think anyone feels worse 'bout that than me? And to top it off, Gwen runs out there to find him on her own and why? Because I didn't do what I shoulda done...I wanted to ring her neck... I did but hearin' her talk to yer buddy Rick...I knew that was my fault too...if I had just done it when I had the chance...fuck..."

"Why didn't ya?" Daryl asked.

"Got greedy I guess...wanted him to suffer...I didn't want it to be quick, that just seemed to easy...like he was off the hook for all he done...he tried takin' my family...I wanted to make him regret it."

Daryl reached up and rested his hand against Merle's shoulder. "It is what it is...you can't undo it...ya just got to be better from here on out...people do care about ya here and not just me and Gwen. You just make it difficult for them to show because of all the dumb shit you do..."

"I hear ya brother..." Merle laughed a little.

"I'm serious Merle...we can't do this alone no more...can't just be Dixons against the world...we all need to work together." Daryl told him.

"Don't get all soft and mushy on me...I get it Daryl..." Merle stated. "I'm here ain't I? I'll find a way to make it work..."

.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I have so much in my head to write and not enough time! Aack! I just watched the mid-season finale for season 4 and GAH! I won't give any spoilers at the moment but in the upcoming chapters I will be incorporating what happened (or things similar) to the series so if you aren't up to date on the show hopefully you can be soon. Hope for all you Americans you had a Happy Thanksgiving and to everyone I hope you have a great holiday season coming up, whatever you celebrate. Thanks for all the continued support and feedback! Don't forget to review at the end of the chapter!**

**Chapter 14**

Maggie prepared a bowl for Glenn for dinner and one for herself and passed by Tyrese on her way to the tower.

"Dinner's ready..." She told him. "It ain't much but it's better than nothing..."

"I'm sure it will be just fine..." Tyrese replied and Sasha soon followed in behind him.

Everyone started to gather around to eat as Tyrese and Sasha joined the group. They both appeared uncomfortable, unsure if they should just help themselves or wait.

"Well come on..." Beth nodded her head towards the pot as she stirred, looking over her shoulder.

Reluctantly they both walked up to Beth and she handed them each a bowl.

"Squirrel stew...we don't have much of a choice in protein these days...you get used to it after awhile though." Beth told them.

Sasha smiled at her and nodded her head. "We appreciate anything...really..."

They sat down at a table with Carol and Daryl while Rick, Carl and Karen sat around another.

Gwen and Merle soon joined them.

"How was your first day here?" Gwen asked Sasha.

"I feel like we got a lot of work done...cell block D is almost looking cozy...or as cozy as a prison could..." She laughed a little.

"Tyrese was a big help in repairing the fence today...I was worried we wouldn't get it completed before dark but with his help it all worked out." Rick commented.

Merle mumbled sarcastically under his breath but Gwen quickly nudged him with her elbow in the ribs.

"Dammit woman...watch it..." Merle snapped at her.

Gwen leaned closer towards him and whispered. "Nice try but your broken ribs are on the other side...quit being negative...these people are part of the group now."

"Oh I get that...soon they're goin' to be all holdin' hands tellin' each other how great they are...they already started that tonight..." Merle whispered back.

"Is something wrong?" Rick asked both of them.

Gwen shook her head and forced a smile but Merle rose to his feet. "I do got somethin' to say..." Merle stood there as everyone curiously stared at him. "I know some of y'all ain't too fond of me...hell...some of ya downright hate me but don't worry...the feelin's mutual..."

"Merle..." Gwen said softly as she tugged on his pants for him to sit back down.

Merle shrugged her off and continued. "Y'all don't need to tell me I fucked up...I know it...things are gonna be different...I mean I ain't gonna sit around and sing kumbaya with y'all but I'm gonna make this work...if for no other reason but my family here...I think y'all know what I'm sayin'...so there..." Merle sat back down and started eating again as if he had never spoken a word.

Gwen gently touched his leg and softly smiled at him.

"Scared ya didn't I?" Merle whispered to her and grinned a little.

Carol laughed and shook her head. "Typical...you half ass everything..."

Merle stopped eating and glared at her. His impulse was to yell at her but he gritted his teeth. Gwen gently squeezed his leg and he ignored her as he focused again on eating. Gwen could see it took every ounce of him not to explode.

"Sometimes you don't have to say things outright for people to understand what your intentions are...You're a tough son of a gun Merle and I think you have a lot to offer this group...We all make rash decisions, but it's what we learn from those decisions that's important." Hershel remarked as he nodded his head at Merle. Hershel thanked Beth as she brought him a bowl of stew and sat next to him.

Merle did his best not to show it but Gwen knew Hershel's support meant a lot to him. The rest of the group remained awkwardly quiet but Gwen couldn't help but hope the worst of everything was behind them. She knew how difficult Merle was but he was trying and that was all she could ask for. She just hoped it wasn't too late for the group to truly accept him.

.

Merle sat on his mattress in the cell as Ethan laid beside him. Ethan just quietly watched him curiously as he struggled to put his wrist guard over his cast. "Damn this thing...gonna make it fit..." Merle looked over at Ethan and smiled. "You just watch...you're ol' pop is gonna get this back on and be good as new...gonna start teachin' ya soon how to defend yerself...ya mom thinks yer too young but hell, I say there's no such thing...ya may not be able to do much but it will be in yer head...that's what's important..."

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Gwen asked as she stood in the doorway of the cell.

Merle look up at her innocently. "Thought ya were helpin' Beth with the dishes..."

"I was...we're done...now answer the question..." Gwen demanded sternly.

"Just hangin' with my boy...what crawled up yer britches?" Merle went back to struggling with his wrist guard, still unsuccessfully.

Gwen stepped in and reached forward, grabbed the wrist guard from him.

"I ain't done with that..." Merle snapped back.

Gwen held the wrist guard in the air and shook it at him. "You're arm is broken...BROKEN...do you understand that? That means no wrist guard...no fighting...any impact on the arm could cause it to re-break or even become worse...you need to leave it alone so it can heal..."

"I ain't plannin' on doin' nothin'...just wanted it on just in case..." Merle scowled.

"Well just in case...you'll have to come up with something else that doesn't involve that arm...that's an order...God you are so stubborn..." Gwen turned and started to walk away.

"Where are ya goin'?" Merle leaned out of the cell.

"I'm going to hide this..."Gwen stopped as she reached the top of the stairs.

Merle couldn't help but laugh. "Ya don't trust me?"

"I certainly don't...not with this...and no hitting things with your cast either..." She walked down the stairs and was soon out of sight.

Merle leaned back in and curled up with Ethan. "Ya momma's a grouch!"

.

Karen stepped into the doorway of Rick's cell. He looked deep in thought and didn't notice her presence at first.

"How's your back?" She asked.

Rick looked startled as he stared up at her. "Better..."

Karen stepped in and sat next to him on his bunk. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous as she rubbed the top of her thighs slightly with her hands and took a deep breath.

"Something on your mind?" Rick asked her.

Karen smiled softly at him. "I...I just wanted to tell you I think it was a good idea to let Tyrese and Sasha stay...I don't know them well since they were new to Woodbury but they seemed like good people when I first met them..."

"Thank you...I appreciate your input..." Rick assured her.

"You're a good man...not many people would've taken me in after..." Karen cut her eyes away from him. Rick could see she felt ashamed.

Rick gently rested his hand on her leg. "I told you...we know how manipulative the Governor can be...you don't have anything to prove here..."

"Dad?..." Carl stood in the doorway.

Both Karen and Rick looked up as Rick quickly drew away his hand. Karen stood up and turned towards Rick as she started to exit. "Thanks for listening Rick..." She passed by Carl and smiled but Carl just glared at her.

"You alright Carl?" Rick asked.

"What did she want?" Carl demanded.

Rick looked at him surprised and slightly confused. "She just wanted to give her two cents on Sasha and Tyrese...and to apologize again for her roll in the initial attack by the Governor and his men."

"I don't like her..." Carl snapped.

Rick patted on the bunk beside him. "Come...sit down..."

"I'm serious dad...I don't like her...I don't even want her here...she doesn't belong here...she's one of them..."Carl insisted as he sat down.

Rick rested his hand on his shoulder. "Do you really think I would let anyone around you or Judith if I thought they weren't safe?"

"You don't think Merle's safe and you let him be around..." Carl told him.

Rick nodded his head. "You're right...I'm sorry...but that's a little different, he's Daryl's brother...Daryl and Gwen are both here with Merle and I think Merle is trying in his own way...They'll help keep him in line but at any point if he poses a threat to anyone here, I won't hesitate in sending him away...have you had any problems with him?"

"No...that's not the point...Merle might be an ass but I know he wouldn't hurt any of us..." Carl continued but Rick quickly cut him off.

"You know better Carl...your mother and I didn't teach you to talk like that..." Rick stated.

"I'm just sayin'...she tried to hurt us...she's already proven we can't trust her...and now she..." Carl stopped and looked down at the floor.

Rick reached his arm around Carl and pulled him close. "What?...Whatever it is Carl you can tell me..."

Carl looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "I see how she looks at you...I'm not a little kid...I know what that means..."

Rick gently wiped the tear from his cheek. "How she looks at me? Carl I don't understand..."

"Mom just died...how can you forget her so quickly?" Carl jumped to his feet and started to run out but Rick was right on his heals and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Wait...is that what this is about? You think I'm trying to replace your mom? With Karen?" Rick held tightly onto both his arms as he squatted down in front of him.

Carl started sobbing uncontrollably. Rick pulled him in close, wrapping his arms around him and Carl seemed to almost melt into him. It was the first time Carl had shown any real emotion in regards to Lori's death.

"Oh no...Carl...no...that's not happening...I could never replace your mother...Nothing is happening with Karen...it's exactly what I told you...I swear to you Carl..." Rick couldn't help but squeeze him tight as his own eyes welled with tears. He couldn't help but worry about Carl and the stress he was under. "I promise you Carl...things are going to be different...I'm going to be here for you...I haven't been a good father to you lately and I'm so sorry...things are going to be better...you'll see..."

.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'm so glad I was able to bang out two chapters today. I'll update again as soon as I can. Don't regret to review.**

**Chapter 15**

Rick lived up to his word and spent as much time with Carl as he could. Reluctantly he stopped wearing his gun belt and took Carl's gun away from him. He was determined to try to give Carl some resemblance of a childhood back and help Judith have a "normal" one too. To Rick's own surprise Merle had become a huge asset to the group...he never lost his mouth though. The weeks of peace and silence soon turned into months as life at the prison stabilized and there was no sign of the Governor. Everyone seemed to fall into a sense of security again and hoped that they could slowly rebuild their lives. The winter had been difficult in the prison with no real source of heat inside but they found a few kerosene heaters they were able to use to help take the chill out of the air. Before they knew it spring had come back around and every day was increasingly warm.

Gwen stood at the fence in the prison courtyard holding Ethan. Ethan had become more vocal and often babbled non stop. He had recently taken a liking to hitting and hair pulling, something that was giving Gwen the desire to cut her hair. Carol and Karen joined her at the fence as they watched Daryl, Rick, Merle and Tyrese working in the prison yard. They were working on building a greenhouse so they could continue to grow vegetables once the winter rolled back around. A good portion of the prison yard was turned into a garden, providing fresh food over the usual canned meat and beans they had.

"God I wish it was blazing hot..." Karen remarked as they watched the men.

Gwen held Ethan on her hip as he repeatedly smacked her shoulder and jabbered. "It feels good out...not too hot but not too cold either..."

"I think you're missing the point..." Carol smirked as her eyes stayed focused on the men.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

Both Carol and Karen laughed. "We want to see some skin!" Karen remarked.

"Oooooooh...I get it now..." Gwen smiled.

"They are starting to sweat...there's still hope although Daryl never takes his shirt off..."Carol grumbled. "But at least he's never heard of sleeves...those arms..."

"Oh yes Sheriff...I've been a very bad girl...what is that? You want to put your handcuffs on me? Well alright..." Karen grabbed hold of the fence in front of her.

Gwen looked back and forth and Karen and Carol as they stared into the field then looked out towards the men and laughed. "Settle down there girls..."

Daryl had squatted down for a moment and Merle walked up next to him and stuck his butt in his face. Gwen didn't need to hear it to know what he had done as Daryl quickly jumped up and waved the air in front of his face yelling something incoherent at Merle. Merle erupted in faint laughter.

"Oh now that's disgusting...why do mean do that to each other?" Karen laughed as she watched Merle's antics.

"That's right ladies...he's all mine..." Gwen rolled her eyes and shook her head at Merle.

"Well at least you're getting action..." Carol turned away and started to walked to towards the C block with Gwen and Ethan.

Karen looked over her shoulder as they started to walk away. "Wait...we're done watching already? Ladies...don't bail on me now!"

"Come on Karen...we've got work to do..." Carol turned and walked backwards for a moment as she addressed her. "Summer will be here before we know it and we'll have a lot more to stare at." Carol winked at her before turning back around.

.

"God dammit Merle you are nasty..." Daryl complained as Tyrese and Rick laughed along with Merle.

"That's what big brothers are for Daryl..." Rick added.

Daryl shook his head and waved at Rick as he started to work again. "Think I liked it better when y'all hated each other..."

Merle and Rick looked at one another. "I hate you...you still hate me, right?" Rick asked Merle.

"Course! Wouldn't have it any other way..." Merle replied back.

"Both y'all shut up and get back to work..." Daryl grumbled as he tried his best not to smile.

Carl approached the men from the prison. He looked worried and Rick quickly turned serious as he noticed the look on his son's face.

"Carl?...something wrong?" Rick asked as he started to walk to meet him.

"No..." Carl quickly spoke and walked past Rick and started to help the others.

"Carl..." Rick gently grabbed his arm and led him off to the side and out of earshot from the other men. "What's going on..."

Carl sighed deeply and avoided eye contact. "It's nothin'..."

Rick gently grabbed his chin and forced Carl to look at him directly. "Don't lie to me...something is clearly bothering you...I'm asking you to tell me..."

"You'll just think it's stupid..." Carl shook his head.

Rick squeezed his shoulder. "I won't ever think it's stupid Carl...now please..."

Carl looked down at his feet and kicked the dirt around. "I had a dream about mom last night..." He looked back up at Rick and he started to tear up a little but quickly wiped his eyes. "See...I told you it was stupid..."

"No...no that's not stupid...I sometimes dream about her too...it's hard...waking up and realizing she's not here..." Rick tried to reassure him.

"I just...I wish I could've saved her somehow..." Carl told him.

Rick pulled him close and hugged him. "I wish the same thing every day Carl...it's not your fault...none of it is..."

"COME ON YOU PUSSIES! LET'S GET BACK TO WORK! WE AIN'T GOT ALL DAY!" Merle yelled at them.

Rick glared at Merle but Carl started to laugh a little. "Merle..." Carl muttered. "I'm ok dad...he's right...we've got work to do..."

.

Tyrese had his head under the hood as Gwen and Carol approached.

"What's the verdict? Carol asked.

"Everything looks good...hopefully we can find some gas though...running kind of low but there's still enough to get us where we need to be and back." Tyrese assured them. "One of the Dixon's coming?"

"Daryl is...Merle and I agreed if one of us goes on a run the other has to stay with Ethan...just in case." Gwen told him.

"Fair enough...there he is." Tyrese waved at Daryl as he approached carrying two rifles. He handed one to Tyrese and the other to Gwen.

"Ya got yours?" Daryl looked at Carol.

Carol patted her lower back. "Right here..."

Daryl removed the crossbow from his shoulder. "Alright...let's go then..."

.

"Surprised you let Gwen go and not yourself..." Rick remarked as he and Merle steadily killed walkers through the fence. Herds began building up, making everyone nervous.

"Gotta pick my battles with her...she's hard headed...besides, they ain't goin' far and Daryl's with her." Merle replied. "She can handle herself."

"I don't doubt that..." Rick remarked as something caught his eye. He stopped for a moment then began to slowly walk away from where the herd was gathered as he stared towards the woods.

Merle continued stabbing walkers but soon realized Rick had walked away. Merle drew back his knife out of a walker's skull then started to walk towards Rick. "What?...Whatcha see?".

Merle stood next to Rick and stared in the same direction but didn't see anything. "You saw somethin'?"

Rick finally drew his eyes from the woods and looked back at Merle. "Just being paranoid I guess...eyes playing tricks..." Rick patted Merle's shoulder. "Come on...we'll get as many killed off as we can before it gets dark.

Merle grunted at Rick but looked back towards the woods. Maybe things were too comfortable. Being honest with himself, he hadn't given the Governor a second thought in awhile but at that moment, he was all he could think about. Merle couldn't help but feel like someone might be in the woods staring back.

.

It was late when Gwen, Carol, Tyrese and Daryl returned. The supply run had been fairly successful but they ran into a few herds, taking them the long way back to the prison. Gwen was tired and filthy but made her way to the showers to clean up.

The water was ice cold but Gwen still managed to scrub herself clean. She put on some of the clean clothes they had brought back and headed back to the C block, towel drying her hair along the way. She walked into her cell and Merle sat studying a map with an oil lamp burning on the floor in the corner. Gwen peaked into the crib and Ethan was sleeping soundly.

Gwen snuggled up close to Merle, burying her face into his neck. "I'm freezing from my shower, why don't you warm me up?..." She breathed in and pulled slightly away from him. "You smell fresh and clean too..."

Merle didn't bother looking at her as he continued staring at the map. "Yeah...I took a shower earlier..."

Gwen wrapped her arms around him and began kissing his neck. "You're nice and clean... I'm clean...the baby's sleepin'...you know what I think that means?"

Merle just grunted, paying her no mind. Gwen abruptly stopped. "Really Merle?...You're turning down sex?...What's wrong with you?"

Merle didn't say a word.

Gwen leaned forward and covered part of the map with her hand. "What's gotten into you?"

Merle looked at her. "What?"

"What's going on? What happened today?" Gwen looked at him concerned.

Merle folded up the map and put it away. "Nothin'...just tryin' to figure somethin' out..." He grinned and leaned forward against her, attempting to kiss her but Gwen pulled away.

"Oh no...you're going to tell me what's going on." She said angrily.

Merle sighed heavily. "Just lookin' for a place we might go...in case somethin' happens..."

"You mean as in leave the prison? Why?" Gwen looked hurt and confused.

Merle gently pushed her damp hair away from her face. "Now I don't want ya to worry...but Rick thought he saw someone in the woods today..."

Gwen quickly turned pale. Merle cupped her face in his hand. "There weren't nobody there...even Rick said he thought his eyes were playin' tricks on him...but it got me thinkin'...just cause we ain't seen no sign of the Governor don't mean he won't rear his ugly head."

Gwen's eyes began to fill with tears. "I guess we've all convinced ourselves he was gone for good.". She laid on her back and covered her eyes with one arm.

"I just want to have a plan...if he shows up here I swear I'll kill him...ain't gonna waste no time this time...but that don't mean this place won't take a beatin' in the process...if he's gonna hit us...he'll hit us hard." Merle told her.

Gwen removed her arm and just stared at him. "That makes me sick just thinking about it..."

Merle smirked and climbed on top of her, pushing himself between her legs as he began kissing her neck and jawline.

"Merle...I'm kind of not in the mood now." Gwen sighed.

Merle stopped and propped himself up on his elbows as he was face to face with her. "I ain't gonna let nothin' happen to you or that boy...you know that right?"

"I don't want anything to happen to anyone here...this place may not have the comforts of Woodbury but we've created a good place here...a safe place for our son to grow...I can't imagine being on the run with him...how would we keep him safe? He's so vocal now...he's not going to understand when he needs to be quiet." Gwen cupped his face in her hands. "The thought of being out there with him terrifies me..."

"And you thought somethin' was wrong with him before when he was so quiet..." Merle said.

"You aren't listening...I'm serious..." Gwen looked exasperated.

Merle pressed against her firmly. "I know...but there ain't no sense worryin' 'bout that 'til we have to...I told ya...I'm gonna come up with a plan...ya don't need to worry..."

"I hope you're right..." Gwen stated.

"Now come on...we've got other important things goin' on right now..." Merle covered his mouth with hers, not giving her a chance a say anything else. She resisted at first but it didn't take long for her body to relax underneath him and she eagerly returned his kiss. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and thrusted his hips against her.

Gwen moaned softly as Merle ran his hand under her t-shirt and cupped her breast. Merle pulled away from her and grinned. "What was that ya said about not bein' in the mood?"

Gwen rolled her eyes at Merle. "Shut up and get your pants off..."

.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks again to all my faithful readers! Remember, we'll be getting into some of the things that happened in the season finale in an upcoming chapter (not quite this one) as well as my own twist to them so I don't want to spoil anything for anyone in the upcoming chapters if you haven't watched Season 4 midseason finale. It won't be exactly the same but some of the actions and ideas of the show will be used so it won't be all mine. Hope you enjoy it. Please REVIEW!**

**Chapter 16**

The next morning Merle went straight back to studying the map in attempt to come up with a plan. Daryl noticed him leaning against the hood of one of the vehicles.

"What are ya doin'?" Daryl asked as he approached.

Merle glanced around him to make sure no one else was in earshot before he spoke. "Somethin' ain't right...we need to have a plan if we're gonna have to leave this place...somewhere to go in case we get separated...where we can meet up..."

"Somethin' happen while we were gone yesterday?" Daryl asked.

"It ain't that...Rick thought he saw somethin' in the woods yesterday...then he thought his eyes were just playin' tricks...maybe he did, maybe he didn't...but if he did and the Governor is plannin' an attack, we need to be ready..." Merle told him.

Daryl scratched his head for a moment as he just stared at Merle. "Rick should be in on this...we'll come up with somethin'..." Daryl started to walk away but Merle grabbed his arm.

"No he ain't..." Merle insisted.

Daryl looked at him confused and jerked his arm away. "Whatcha mean?"

"I mean...it's time to break ties with these folks...if everythin' goes to shit and we all have to scatter we ain't gonna be able to take care of everybody...it just ain't gonna be possible...I sure as hell ain't gonna back track and risk our lives for everybody else..." Merle told him.

"What the fuck Merle? I thought things were better...I thought ya understood how things were here now..." Daryl argued.

Merle shook his head. "It ain't that...yer takin' it all wrong...I plan to defend this place best we can but it don't mean it'll work...Governor plays dirty and if we're just standing here at the end with nothin' left but our lives then so be it...but all I care about is my family...that's you, Gwen and my boy...y'all are my concern...sorry if ya don't like it but ain't nobody else here worth y'alls lives to me...nobody..."

Daryl glared at Merle and sighed deeply.

"Just hear me out..." Merle shoved the map closer towards him. "I was thinkin'...ya may not remember cause we only went there once when ya were little but Uncle Steve used to have a cabin up here...on the other side of this lake...ain't nobody know that cabin is there..."

"Let me see...where is that?" Daryl asked as he looked more closely.

"Towards Mount Vernon...between Atlanta and Athens...northeast..." Merle pointed.

"I don't know Merle..." Daryl chewed on the skin around his nails.

Merle rested his hand against Daryl's back almost leading him in closer to the map. "Look...we got Mitchell and Bucaneer Lake nearby...the cabin's close to the water so that's one side of protection we have from walkers...that area ain't never been full of people where his cabin is...built the thing himself...we could be safe there...hell and if I know Uncle Steve, the damn thing is probably pretty well stocked full of shit..."

"If it ain't been raided..." Daryl uttered.

"That cabin's well hidden...ya ain't even know it's there 'til yer right on top of it...we just got to make it there brother...we just got to make it there..." Merle grinned.

Daryl still looked at him displeased. "And what about the others..."

"Ain't enough room for everybody Daryl...ya gonna have to learn to let go..." Merle insisted.

Daryl started to walk away but turned back to Merle. "Let me talk to Rick..."

"YA BETTER NOT FUCKIN' TELL HIM..." Merle started to chase after him but Daryl held his hand up to calm him.

"Just fuckin' relax...I ain't gonna say nothin' 'bout the cabin...just let me see what he thinks about what the fuck is goin' on...can ya at least give me that?" Daryl asked.

Merle quickly calmed down and nodded his head.

.

Karen walked into Rick's cell as he was putting on his boots. She carried a small bundle of clothes in her arms.

"Thought you could use a few a these...they're from the supply run yesterday..." Karen held them out to him.

Rick motioned for her to sit them on the bunk. "You can just sit them there...thank you..."

Karen slipped next to him in the bunk as she rested the clothes behind him. He paused and stared at her a moment as he waited for her to speak further. "I know things haven't been easy for you since your daughter was born but things seem to be going well now..."

"They haven't been easy for anyone...but yeah they have...I just hope it stays that way..." Rick replied.

"Is something wrong?" Karen looked at him concerned.

Rick rested his hand on her leg gently. "No...no...I shouldn't have said it like that...I just want everyone to stay cautious...I don't think we can get too comfortable anywhere..."

Karen breathed a sigh of relief as she scooted herself closer to Rick. Quickly she cupped his face in her hands and covered his mouth with hers. His body stiffened immediately, almost stunned by her actions but then for a brief moment, he started to kiss her back.

Abruptly Rick gently pushed her away and stood up to distance himself. He could hardly catch his breath as he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that..."

Karen stood up in front of him. She pressed her body against his and ran her hands over his shirt against his chest. "It's ok...we're both adults...it's time someone did something for you for a change..." She started to lean in towards him to kiss him again but he gently pushed her away with his hands against her shoulders.

"Karen...I'm sorry if I've somehow misled you...given you the wrong idea...but I'm not looking for this...not now..." Rick insisted.

Karen tried to step in closer again. "It's ok...I'm not looking for promises...just..."

"Karen...no..." Rick grew more stern as he stepped away from her. "I think you should go...thank you for the clothes..."

Karen just stared at him a moment, embarrassed and shocked. Soon she rushed out and practically smacked into Daryl on the way.

Daryl did his best to dodge her and looked at Rick confused. "What the hell was that about?"

Rick rubbed his face with his hands and sighed deeply. "Nothing...what's up?"

"What's this Merle's sayin' about ya seeing someone in the woods?..." Daryl asked.

Rick quickly became defensive as he rested his hands on his hips. "Please tell me Merle isn't going around tellin' that to everyone..."

"Naw...just me..." Daryl reassured him.

Rick seemed to relax slightly but stayed serious. "I don't know Daryl...it was weird...I couldn't sworn I saw something but nothing was there...I haven't been able to shake it...I want to believe it's nothing but..."

"But it may not..." Daryl finished his sentence.

"Yeah...it may not...I know I need to tell the others but I want to make sure I'm not causing a panic either..." Rick told him.

"So how do we do that?" Daryl asked.

"Get Glen and Maggie up to speed...make sure no one's in the towers today...you know what happened last time the Governor attacked...I don't want a repeat of that but just in case...have them stay alert...then round everyone else up...think we need to all talk about this..."

Daryl started to exit the cell but turned back. "Alright...but first I'm gonna check the rifles...make sure everything's loaded...I don't want us caught by surprise."

.

Hershel walked into the woods with Glenn, free of the crutches with the prosthetic leg Daryl found on the run.

"Feels strange...but I think I can get used to this...I'll be running marathons in no time!" Hershel smiled at Glenn.

Glenn kept his pace slow so Hershel wouldn't feel rushed as he gathered mushrooms and the plants Hershel pointed out for medicinals. "It's good to see you up and moving around...without the crutches I mean...

Hershel laughed a little. "I am too...my arms are killing me to be honest...but I try not to complain...it could be worse..."

"Well...I wanted to talk to you alone anyways...away from Maggie..." Glenn started to say.

Hershel quickly looked confused. "Something wrong?"

"No...not at all...Maggie's great...I just thought now would be a good time...with everything coming together here..." Glenn told him.

"You mean to marry her?...Well I already gave you my blessing...she already said yes..." Hershel stated.

"I thought maybe I could surprise her...I know Beth would help but maybe put together a little ceremony...in front of everyone." Glenn replied.

Hershel smiled at him. "That's very thoughtful Glenn...I'm sure she'll love it...she's always loved surprises...what can I do to help?"

"I was thinking maybe...you could perform the ceremony?" Glenn asked.

"I'd be honored..." Hershel remarked. "What?...You don't want Merle to do it?" He joked.

Glenn's face grew stern and he raised his voice a little and deepened it. "You love her?...You love him?...alright y'all are married...now get the hell outta here!" He waved his arm over his head.

Both Hershel and Glenn laughed but their laughter was cut short by a noise in front of them in the woods. Both men froze and became eerily silent as they slowly drew their weapons. Their eyes searched through the trees for any signs of walkers but they didn't see one. They heard another noise behind them and quickly turned around towards it but still saw nothing. Glenn could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"You see anything?" Glenn whispered to Hershel.

"No...and that makes me more worried..." Hershel replied.

"I would be worried too if I were you..." They heard a voice behind them. Quickly Glenn turned around as Hershel slowly turned trying to steady himself on his new leg. They aimed their guns at the face of the one eyed man all too familiar.

The Governor raised both his hands and smiled. "Relax...we're just going to have a little chat for a moment...you might as well toss your guns aside now..."

"Not a hell's chance." Glenn snarled at him but soon he heard more noise coming from all around him. He looked around and over his shoulder and saw one man after another come into view, all heavily armed, aiming right at him and Hershel.

"You're out gunned by a mile gentlemen...let's not make this anymore difficult than it has to be..." The Governor remarked as he devilishly smiled.

Hershel let out a sigh of frustration. "You don't need both of us...one will do...let him go..."

"Hershel no!" Glenn gripped his gun tighter as he continued to point it at the Governor but Hershel dropped his down by his side.

"You're right...I only need one of you..." The Governor nodded towards one of the men and Glenn felt the cold metal of the barrel of the gun press firmly against his head.

"NO!...Please...don't...we'll do what you ask...there's no need to hurt anyone here..." Hershel dropped his gun on the ground and raised both his hands.

The Governor smirked as he stared at Hershel then cut his eyes towards Glenn.

"Son...please...drop your weapon...do as he asks..." Hershel pleaded with Glenn.

Glenn's hand began to tremble as he gripped the gun tighter. His anger was almost overwhelming. Soon, however, he lowered his gun to his side and one of the Governor's men jerked it away from him. Glenn closed his eyes for a moment, furious at himself for not being able to do something.

The Governor stepped closer to both men and largely grinned. "Now...that's much better..."

.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Gwen saw Karen, visibly upset, as she ran from Rick's cell. Gwen called out to her but she didn't stop. Gwen continued to follow her as she ran to cell block D. As she entered, she could hear Karen crying as she approached the cells. Gwen stood just outside the second cell as she observed Karen sitting on the bunk with her face buried in her hands.

"Karen?...What happened?"

Karen jumped, clearly startled by Gwen but she looked up at her quickly wiping the tears from her face. "I'm such an idiot..."

Gwen stepped in and sat next to her. Ethan rested his head against her shoulder as she switched him to her other hip. "You're not an idiot... "

"No I am...I just made a complete fool of myself with Rick...I'm so embarrassed." Karen told her.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think...tell me what happened." Gwen insisted.

Karen breathed out hard and pushed her hair out of her face. "I kissed Rick and he made it abundantly clear he wants nothing to do with me."

"Are you sure? Maybe you just came on too strong...maybe if..." Gwen tried to make her feel better but Karen cut her off.

"No...he was clear...God I don't even want to show my face in front of him now." Karen sighed.

"Karen..." Gwen was at a loss of what to say.

Karen looked at her and could see Ethan's large blue eyes intensely staring at her. She smiled and gently caressed his head. Ethan pointed at her.

Gwen smiled down at him. "Well this little man likes you..."

"Can I hold him for a bit?" Karen asked. Gwen nodded and started to pass Ethan towards her and he lunged himself towards Karen.

"Whoa!..." Karen grabbed hold of him but jerked her head back to keep from having Ethan head butt her in the face.

"He can be rough..." Gwen told her.

Karen kissed his cheek. "That's alright...he's a boy...they're supposed to be rough."

"Actually...if you don't mind watching him for a few minutes, I'd like to go talk to Merle." Gwen told her.

"Sure...take all the time you need..." Karen replied. "Ethan and I will be right here..."

"Ok...as long as you're sure." Karen nodded to Gwen. Gwen kissed Ethan's head. "Alright boy...be good for Karen..."

.

Daryl checked all the guns in the bins near the building. All were fully loaded so he went to find Maggie. He noticed her standing alone in one of the towers closest to the prison.

"Maggie...where's Glenn?" Daryl called up to her.

Maggie leaned over the railing and called back to him. "He and daddy went to look for more herbs and plants to use as medicine...maybe bring back some mushrooms too."

Daryl sighed. He didn't like the fact that Hershel and Glenn were outside the prison fence. "Can ya come down for a bit? I need to talk to ya..."

Maggie looked at him strangely but did as he asked. He met her at the door at the foot of the tower. "What's wrong?"

"Come inside for a sec...Rick wants to round everybody up." Daryl told her. "I'll go find Glenn and Hershel..."

Maggie nodded and started to walk towards the cell block as Daryl headed towards the main gate. He passed by Merle and Gwen as they were intensely talking, Daryl could only assume it was a similar conversation to the one he had with Merle. Gwen looked about as happy as he did about it.

"Merle...open the gate for me...gonna go find Glenn and Hershel...Rick wants to talk to everyone." Daryl instructed.

Merle shook his head but followed shortly behind him. Suddenly both Daryl and Merle stopped in their tracks and Gwen practically smacked into the back of Merle.

Daryl looked over his shoulder back at Merle. "You hear that?"

"Yeah..." Merle stated softly.

Their eyes were glued towards the road and soon Gwen heard the same thing they had. She stared at the road and soon saw the source of the sound. She grabbed hold of Merle's arm. "Oh my God..."

.

Maggie walked into the cell block and saw Rick talking to Tyrese and Sasha. "What's going on?"

"There's something I'm concerned about and I think everybody needs to hear it..." Rick told her.

"Where's Beth?" Maggie asked.

"She's in D with Judith...Karen has Ethan in there while Gwen went to find Merle." Sasha told her.

Before there was a chance to say another word, they were all startled by a loud explosion. The whole building shook and instinctively they shielded themselves from the sound.

"No..." Rick stated as he ran outside followed by the three of them.

Carl had started to run into the cell block as Rick and the others were running out but stopped and followed his dad."Carl...You alright?" Rick asked frantically.

They all ran towards the fence and saw Merle, Daryl and Gwen already standing there as they saw the tank and a row of vehicles parked outside the main gate. They could hear a voice shouting but it wasn't clear. People were standing outside the vehicles and they were heavily armed.

"Ssshhhhhh!" Rick rushed to the fence next to Daryl and motioned for everyone to quiet down to listen.

"RICK! COME DOWN HERE!" The Governor ordered. "WE NEED TO TALK..."

"WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DISCUSS...JUST GO ON YOUR WAY AND LEAVE US ALONE!" Rick called back to him.

Carol rushed up behind Daryl. "What's happening?"

"Nothin' good..." Daryl replied as he slowly backed up. "Help me get the guns but try not to be obvious about it..."

Merle's blood began to boil. "Hell... I'll go down there..."

Gwen grabbed hold of his arm. "Merle wait..."

"I'VE GOT SOMETHING YOU WANT...AND YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING I WANT...COME DOWN HERE SO WE CAN TALK THIS OUT LIKE GENTLEMEN..." The Governor stated. He motioned towards one of the vehicles and his men pulled two people out of the rear seat.

"Oh my God!" Maggie covered her mouth with her hand.

"That bastard!" Sasha uttered angrily.

"What's he want?" Maggie fought back her tears.

Rick started to walk towards the main gate. "Only one way to find out..."

Daryl and Carol cautiously handed everyone a weapon. Carl took aim through the fence with a rifle as Daryl did the same next to him.

"I'm going down there..." Merle started again.

"The hell you are...give Rick a chance to find out what he wants..." Daryl snapped at him.

Reluctantly Merle obeyed Daryl and raised his own rifle and waited.

.

"What the hell was that?" Karen and Beth both jumped as they heard the explosion.

Beth passed Judith off to Karen and Karen held both babies on each hip. "I'll be right back...let me see."

Before Karen had a chance to speak, Beth rushed out of the cell block.

.

"We need to do something..." Carl stated.

"Your dad's handling it..." Daryl insisted.

"I've got the shot...I can take him from here." Carl explained.

Daryl kept his eyes fixed on Rick. "From 50 yards?"

"I'm a good shot...I can end this..." Carl replied.

"Or start something else...give your dad a chance..." Daryl ordered.

Beth rushed up behind Maggie. "What's happening?...Oh my God! Is that daddy?...Glenn?" Beth started to cry as she watched the Governor approach the back of Hershel. "What's he doing?" She asked frantically.

"He got a knife to his throat..." Merle stated.

"Beth, get Karen and the kids and head through the admin building towards the woods..."Daryl instructed.

"I'm not leaving..." Beth cried.

"Beth do it...we'll come get you when it's safe..." Maggie said sternly.

Reluctantly Beth ran back towards the building.

Everyone watched in horror as the Governor jerked his hand across Hershel's neck and they helplessly saw him slump forward into the grass. They could hear Rick's screams as he began to fire towards them and retreat backwards. Maggie screamed as they all began firing their weapons.

Beth heard the eruption of gunfire as she ran back into cell block D. She was crying so hard she could barely see but grabbed one of the babies from Karen. "COME ON WE HAVE TO GO..." She screamed at her.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Karen followed after her as they both clutched the babies tightly against their chest.

Beth just kept repeating they had to go as they fled from the building. Beth ran out into the courtyard and suddenly stopped. Karen was close behind her but continued running. Beth frantically tried to get her bearings from the noise and dust erupting all around her. She could hear bullets whizzing by her head.

"KAREN WAIT!" Beth cried out, knowing they wouldn't make it to the admin building from all the gunfire but tried to stop her as she started to follow after her.

Beth was horrified when she saw Karen's back arch and her legs buckled beneath her. Her body jerked violently as additional bullets pierced through her body and soon she collapsed.

Beth cried out a blood curdling scream as she quickly lunged for cover behind the back of the stairs that led into the building. She was pinned down by the gunfire as the baby in her arms screamed from fear of all the noise, she couldn't take her eyes off Karen's motionless body.

.

"COVER ME..." Merle yelled at Gwen as he charged towards Rick and the overturned bus.

Gwen's heart raced as she took aim at the men attempting to fire upon Merle as he ran.

Merle shot one as Rick and the Governor disappeared to the other side of the bus, out of their sight. Gwen continued to fire until bullets started to rain more closely around her. She rushed towards one of the towers and took cover down low as she tried to make sense of where everyone was. It was complete chaos, bullets and dust flying everywhere as Gwen continued to fire at the Governor's men.

.

Rick tried but everything around him started to spin and turn black as the Governor was squeezing the life right out of him. He didn't want to give up but he had no more strength left in his body.

Merle ran as hard as he could as he saw the Governor hovering over Rick. As he approached, he drew back his arm and slammed it forward, driving the knife on his wrist guard through the Governor's torso. Merle twisted the blade before drawing it back out as the Governor tumbled forward and Rick struggled to roll out from underneath him. Merle could only hear the sound of his own blood pulsing through his veins as he followed after the Governor writhing in pain on the ground. Merle shoved his foot underneath him and rolled him over onto his back.

"I want you to see me kill you..." Merle uttered.

.

Daryl pulled the pin on the grenade and tossed it into the barrel of the tank's gun. He heard the driver of the tank yell "GRENADE" as he jumped from the tank in attempt to take cover. The explosion rang loudly in Daryl's ears as he took aim at the man. The man looked defeated and raised his arms as if he was surrendering. Without hesitation Daryl fired his crossbow into the man's chest.

The faint sound of a baby crying caught Daryl's attention. He looked to his left and saw what looked like Karen lying motionless near the building. Suddenly he remembered Gwen had left Ethan with Karen and his stomach turned. He rushed over to her body and dropped to his knees. He felt her neck for a pulse but there was none. The crying infant grew louder and Daryl looked up and noticed Beth emerging from the back of the stairs, clutching a baby tightly as tears streamed down her face. Gunfire started to dissipate and Beth slowly walked towards him, repeating "I tried to stop her...I tried..." between sobs.

Daryl looked horrified as he gently rolled her onto her back, her arms still tightly wrapped around the baby she carried. Daryl pried her arms away but quickly realized it was pointless. He turned his head away and fought back his own tears. He wanted to vomit but fought the urge.

"Oh no...no...no...no...no..." Beth dropped to her knees and hysterically sobbed. Daryl rushed over to her and lifted her back to her feet.

"Come on Beth...it's too late, gotta get you safe..." Daryl gripped her arm and ran towards the rear of the prison yard.

.

Merle pulled his blade from the Governor's head and stood over the Governor and spat on him.

Glenn was struggling to help Rick to his feet as a large herd started to pile in through the broken down fence.

"MERLE COME ON!..." Glenn screamed as he tucked himself under Rick's arm and started to head back towards the prison building.

Merle looked up and scanned the area for Gwen but couldn't see her. Quickly he rushed passed Glenn and Rick back towards the prison.

.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Harsh I know but it is the Walking Dead...unfortunately not everyone can survive. I know you all are wondering who has survived in my version and this chapter will answer many of those questions. Thanks for all your feedback and don't forget to review at the end of the chapter! **

**Chapter 18**

Walkers were steadily closing in around Gwen as she struggled to clear herself a path away from them. She killed one and two more would appear, she didn't even realize the gunfire had stopped. All she could focus on was finding a way back to the cell block and finding Ethan.

She pulled the trigger of her rifle and the only sound it made was "click". Frantically she pulled back the bolt action and tried to cycle another cartridge through but it was empty.

"Fuck!" Gwen grabbed the rifle by the barrel and started swinging the stock end at the walkers as they approached. Cracking each in the head as hard as she could. Her arms quickly grew heavy as she tried to keep up the momentum but with each swing, she lost a little more strength. She struggled to catch her breath as she tried to back away from the walkers closing in but stumbled over her own feet which sent her crashing hard against the concrete.

One walker lunged itself towards her as she gripped the gun in both hands, it being the only thing between them as it's jaws ferociously snapped at her face. She felt the weight of another then another as they piled on top of her like a bunch of football players tackling another for the ball. The weight was almost unbearable and she knew she couldn't keep them at bay for much longer. To her surprise the pressure started to ease and she saw a blade pierce through the skull of the walker on top of her.

Merle slung the walkers off Gwen as if they were rag dolls, his adrenaline sky high. He grabbed hold of Gwen's wrist and yanked her to her feet.

"YOU HURT?!" Merle breathed heavily.

Gwen was too out of breath to speak but shook her head no.

"Come on...the herd's fillin' this place...we gotta get outta here!"

"BUT ETHAN!" She tried to pull away from him and head towards the cell block but his grip was too tight and all she could see between them and the prison were walkers...

"Everybody's runnin'...let's go..." Merle jerked her in the opposite direction.

"But..." Gwen looked over her shoulder as they ran.

"THEY AIN'T THERE! JUST RUN!..." Merle insisted as he dragged her towards the woods.

.

Beth and Daryl ran through the woods as fast as their legs could carry them. Beth struggled to breathe as she continued to cry but soon her attempts turned into gasps and she dramatically slowed.

"Beth come on...ya gotta keep movin'!" Daryl tried to grab her arm but she dropped to her knees, taking Daryl to the ground with her.

"I don't...even...know which...baby I...have..." Beth struggled to speak as she gasped for air between sobs.

Daryl started to reach for the crying child but Beth clung tighter and rocked forward.

"I don't want to know...I don't want to know..." Beth shook her head and closed her eyes.

Daryl rested his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to do as he scanned the area around them for anything following them.

"Beth...you're hurting..." Daryl started to speak but Beth screamed at him cutting him off.

She wasn't ready...it was all too much at once. He knew she had to know her father was dead...even if no one had told her...she didn't have to see it. Then to lose everything else all at once while watching Karen be gunned down...he knew she needed time but time was something they couldn't afford.

"We're gonna die out here if ya don't get it together..." Daryl said harshly.

Beth's breathing started to calm and she stared wide eyed at him. The tears left streak marks on her face and her whole body shook.

"It's Judith isn't it?" Beth asked as she reluctantly turned her head to look at the baby in her arms.

Daryl remained quiet as she became strangely calm and quiet.

"Judith is dead..." Beth stated softly as her eyes locked on Ethan's tear filled face. He started to calm slightly as she held him away from her body but pouted and started to whimper.

Daryl reached for Ethan and gently took him from her arms. "Give him to me..."

Daryl stood up and swayed Ethan gently as his eyes continued to scan all around them. They didn't have time to stop and grieve...they had to keep moving but he also needed Beth to get her head on straight and for Ethan to quit crying. He softly kissed his cheek and whispered to him. "It's ok...you're ok..."

Beth's face was pale and there was a vacant look in her eyes. She remained silent.

Ethan quickly calmed in Daryl's arm, resting his head on Daryl's shoulder. His eyes soon became heavy as he struggled to keep them open.

"Beth...come on...we ain't got time...I just need ya to make it a little further..." Daryl said sternly.

Beth slowly looked up at him but didn't move.

"NOW!" Daryl barked as he covered Ethan's ear in hopes of keeping him from crying again.

Beth jumped from his shout but finally rose to her feet.

"Ya need to carry him...I can't protect us and hold him at the same time...I need ya to take him..." Daryl stared her in the eyes.

Beth nodded and reached for Ethan. As soon as her arms were back around him she struggled to fight back tears.

Daryl placed his hand on her back and gentle guided her forward.

.

"Maggie please...slow down..." Glenn insisted as he struggled to keep up with her as they cut through the woods. Sasha followed close behind.

"We need to find some place safe before dark..." Maggie stated coldly as she continued on.

Glenn tried to reach for her arm but she jerked away from him. "You're hurt...we have to stop..."

Glenn was right...her shoulder was bleeding but she couldn't hardly feel the pain. All she felt was numb. "I'm not stopping until we find a place for the night...if I stop things will feel real and if they feel real I'll fall apart... I can't fall apart..."

"She's right...we have to find something before it gets dark..." Sasha added. Her eyes were red a swollen from crying but she tried hard to push back her own feelings. Tyrese had always been there for her...she never thought she'd out live him through this. She wasn't ready to face the fact that he was gone.

Glenn sighed in frustration. He knew arguing with one was hard enough but arguing with both was impossible. "Then let's find something fast...I'm worried about you losing blood..."

.

"We have to go back...Merle...you're not listening...we have to go back! What if they didn't get out...what if they are trapped in the prison... we have to go back...we have to find Ethan...he must be hungry...we..." Gwen was frantic with worry as Merle cut her off.

He grabbed her by her arm and shook her. "I already told ya...that place is done...we ain't goin' back...they got out...I saw 'em...now come on...the sun's setting and I ain't havin' us out here in the open..."

"You saw them? Are you sure they got away? Where were they going? Are we going the same way?" Gwen questioned.

Merle cupped her face in his hand. "Do you trust me?"

"I just want you to tell me you're sure he's safe...that they got away..." Gwen said softly. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I told you...now get a grip..." Merle snapped then continued to walk ahead.

Gwen followed after him but stayed quiet the rest of the way. They were almost out of light as they approached an old church. Most of the tombstones were cracked or overturned. Cautiously they entered the building which consisted of just one room with pews that led up to an alter. It smelled old and musty but was completely empty.

"We lucked out...this will do for tonight..." Merle stated as he plopped himself down in one of the pews. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Luck? There's nothing lucky about this...we have no idea where our son is...we've lost our family, friends...our home...and for what? Some musty old church?" Gwen looked at him exasperated.

"We'll find him...we'll find Daryl...ain't no sense in worryin' 'bout it now...get some rest while you can." Merle told her then closed his eyes again.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM?" Gwen kicked his foot. "WHAT IF KAREN WAS HURT?...WHAT IF SHE LEFT HIM BEHIND?"

"YOU LEFT MY SON WITH A WOMAN THAT WOULD JUST LEAVE HIM THERE?" Merle snapped.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" She screamed.

"WELL IF YA WEREN'T SO BUSY PAWNIN' MY SON OFF WITH THE FIRST PERSON YA COULD HE'D BE WITH YA NOW!" The next thing Merle new, he felt Gwen's hand crack hard against his face.

"HOW DARE YOU!...IF YOU HAD KILLED THE GOVERNOR WHEN YOU FIRST HAD THE CHANCE WE WOULDN'T BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Gwen burst into tears and turned her back to Merle.

He remained silent as he watched her cry. Ethan had to be alive and safe. He wouldn't allow himself to even consider anything else. Gwen started to walk down the aisle towards the door but Merle rushed after her. He grabbed her around the waist as she tried to struggle away from him.

"Let me go..." She sobbed. "I'll find him myself..."

Merle didn't say a word, he just pulled her close and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She tried pushing away but had no strength as she collapsed to the floor, Merle falling with her but keeping a steady grip. She tightly gripped his shirt and buried her face in his chest as she continued to cry. He held her in his arms, resting his cheek against her head.

"I didn't mean it...you're a good mother...we'll find him...I promise you we'll find him." Merle said softly.

Gwen tried to get ahold of herself as she slowly sat up and pulled away from him. Merle brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"How can you be so sure?" Gwen asked.

Merle looked away from her and sighed.

Gwen's eyes widened. "What are you not telling me?"

Merle looked back at her and she could see he was clenching his jaw. "Daryl sent Beth back into the cell block for Karen and the kids...I saw Karen outside the building...before I figured out where ya were...She didn't have Ethan..."

"She didn't have him? Oh my God!" Gwen looked even more panicked.

Merle cupped her face in his hand and stared into her eyes. "Don't lose it on me now...I need ya to keep it together...ya hear me?...Karen didn't have Ethan...she had Judith...they're both dead... I saw Rick kneeling beside her holdin' his baby...him and Carl were both tore up...that ain't our baby they're grievin' over...it was their's..."

"I'm going to be sick..." Gwen covered her mouth with her hand. She tried to stand but her legs felt useless.

"Gwen...Beth was nowhere...Beth has to have him...She has to...it makes sense...they each had a baby...Beth has Ethan..." Merle insisted.

Gwen looked at him in disbelief. "But you don't know...you didn't see them...they could be dead for all you know."

Gwen started to cry again and Merle roughly gripped his hand under her chin to force her to look at him. "He ain't dead...I know he ain't...I'd feel it...he's alive and we'll find him...for all we know Daryl's with her...maybe even Tyrese and Sasha...hell all the rest of 'em could be together and they'll protect him...protect him and take care of him 'til we find 'em. I ain't lyin'...ya gotta believe that..."

Gwen couldn't bring herself to say anything else, she just wrapped her arms around Merle and continued to cry...

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	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hope y'all don't hate me for this next chapter...I feel bad about it...I really do...I hated to do it but I think it had to be done...Hope you can all forgive me. Don't forget to review at the end of the chapter! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!**

**Chapter 19 **

Sunlight streamed in through the church windows, hitting Merle in the face as he struggled to wake up. He rubbed his eyes and looked around but didn't see Gwen nearby. He pushed himself up to his feet, turning completely around but she wasn't in the room.

"Gwen?...GWEN?" Merle rushed towards the church doors, flinging them both open to find Gwen sitting on the top step. She looked over her shoulder at him then faced forward again. Merle stepped forward and sat beside her as he sighed with relief. "Thought ya cut out on me for a minute there..."

Gwen forced a slight smile but didn't say a word. She looked even more exhausted than the night before.

"Did ya sleep at all?" Merle asked but Gwen just shook her head. "Hell yesterday ya wouldn't stop with the questions and now I'm getting the silent treatment?" Merle laughed a little to himself.

Gwen looked at Merle and sighed. "What do you want me to say Merle?"

"I don't know...just somethin'..." He told her.

"I want to go back to the prison...to be sure..." Gwen insisted. "At the very least maybe we can figure out which direction everyone else went..."

"It's gonna be over run...don't even know how close we can even get..." Merle told her.

Gwen stared at Merle coldly. He knew her mind was made up. He could sit there all day and argue with her if he wanted to but it wouldn't change the fact that she was going back to the prison...with or without his help.

"Alright...come on then...somethin' happens and we get separated...ya make yer way back here..." Merle stood up and extended his hand towards her.

.

Beth shivered in the cool morning air. She was curled up against the base of a tree. They had been unable to find any decent shelter for the night so they made their camp down by the creek bed, sheltered by a cluster of trees. Beth could feel Ethan trembling in her arms. He had been restless the entire night and she could hear his stomach growl from hunger. He didn't cry to her surprise, he just quietly whimpered.

Daryl approached her from behind as she stared up at him. "Come on...think there might be somethin' up ahead...saw some buildings of sorts through the trees a ways away...maybe we can find some supplies and camp out there for a few days...least until we can come up with somethin' better."

"I'm afraid he's getting sick...he trembled all night and he hasn't stopped...I know he's starving..." Beth couldn't help but be worried. After all they had been through she couldn't bare the thought of losing Ethan too.

"We'll find shelter...then we'll find food...it will work out..." Daryl told her.

"But Gwen's only breast fed him...he hasn't tried solid food yet...I mean he's old enough but he still can't eat like you and me...he's going to starve!" Beth's eyes began to well up with tears.

"HE AIN'T GONNA STARVE! HE'S GONNA BE FINE!" Daryl snapped. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "I'm sorry...I ain't mad at ya...ya just can't think that way."

"I'm sorry..." Beth said softly.

"Don't be sorry...just quit thinkin' that stuff...come on...let's get a move on..." Daryl helped her to her feet.

.

"Dad come on...it's clear..." Carl approached Rick as he was slumped up against the house. Rick was barely holding on to consciousness, he had lost too much blood from his leg wound.

"Carl..." Rick was barely able to utter.

"Just rest dad...it's ok..." Carl tucked himself under Rick's arm and led him into the house.

The house appeared vacant for awhile. No walkers or decomposing bodies lying around but there were also no supplies. Just the bare essentials in furniture was all that was left. Carl guided his father to the couch and helped him lay down. Rick cringed from the pain as he struggled to catch his breath. Carl tucked a pillow under his head in an attempt to make him more comfortable. Carl started to walk away when Rick grabbed hold of his arm.

"Carl..." Rick was barely able to speak above a whisper.

"Dad...relax...we'll be safe here...I'll make sure of it..." Carl told him as he gently pushed his hand away.

Rick shook his head and attempted to sit up but Carl stopped him. "I'm gonna find something to stop the bleeding but ya gotta quit moving..."

Carl turned away and began searching the house for any first aid supplies and towels. Soon he was back beside the couch with a small bundle in his arms. He sat on the floor next to the couch and began ripping the towels into strips. "This will do until I find something better..."

"Carl I need you to listen..." Rick struggled to speak. The room started to spin as he rested his hand against his head in attempt to steady it. "When the time comes...you just need to go...don't waste a bullet...just go...find someplace safe...find others you can trust..."

"You're going to be fine dad...you're just tired..." Carl tried to ignore him as he wrapped the strips around his upper thigh. He packed extra layers over the wound itself and struggled to tie it off tight. Rick cried out in pain as he breathed heavily. "Sorry...but I had to stop the bleeding." Carl took one of the towels and gently began wiping the blood from the cut just above his brow. Rick's face was swollen and bruised.

Rick grabbed Carl's arm with more force this time and stared him sternly in the eyes. "You have to listen to me...you've done enough...I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe...and Judith..." Rick tried to continue but his own emotions were too overwhelming. Carl tried to fight back his own tears but couldn't. Rick pulled Carl in close and held him tight. "I'm so proud of you...you deserve so much more than this...you've done all you can do..."

"No...you're gonna be fine...stop saying that!" Carl cried.

"You need to go...take my gun..." Rick insisted.

"I don't care how many times you say it...I'm not leaving you here...you're gonna get better...you just have to..." Carl leaned his head against Rick's chest and refused to move. He was too exhausted to argue anymore. He could only hope that when the time came Carl would be alright on his own.

.

Daryl kicked in the door to the store front diner and took aim with his crossbow. "Beth stay close to me..." He instructed as he began to make his way through the restaurant and towards the kitchen. Beth stayed close but kept scanning her eyes all around them. Daryl made his way back to the side of the restaurant and noticed what looked like a closet door.

"Back up a little...just in case..." Daryl told Beth as she nodded and did as he instructed. Ethan was steadily asleep with his head against her shoulder. Daryl jerked the door open and backed up slightly and was ready to fire. Nothing was on the other side of the door except for a tall staircase. "Stay right here...I'll wave you up if it's clear at the top..."

Daryl tried his best to be quiet as he crept up the stairs but each floorboard seemed to creak louder than the next. Beth looked over her shoulder, still worried someone or something would come up behind her but the town overall seemed quiet and abandoned. She just didn't want to think it was all too good to be true. She was exhausted as she knew Ethan was and Daryl although she knew he would never complain or admit it. They all needed some time to rest and this so far had seemed to be the best place they'd found. She looked back up at Daryl at the top of the stairs and he motioned for her to follow.

Room by room he searched but they didn't find anyone. The last room they came to, Beth couldn't help but speak out. "There's a crib!" She said with a sense of relief as she started to take Ethan to it.

"Wait..." Daryl held up his had to keep her from stepping further into the room. He pointed towards the closet and Beth heard the shuffling of noise on the other side of the door. She looked wide eyed at Daryl and he motioned for her to back up. She stood in the doorway as she held Ethan close and watched him intensely as he slowly started to grip the doorknob. He yanked the door open and Beth heard a woman scream.

"PLEASE...I HAVE A BABY...DON'T HURT US!..." A woman and man were crouched down in the floor of the closet as the woman held a blanketed bundle in her arms.

Daryl slowly started to back away but still kept the crossbow pointed at both of them. "Come outta there..." He ordered as Beth rushed up behind him to see.

"Daryl...they have a baby...it's ok..." Beth sighed with relief.

Slowly the man and woman stood up, the woman clutching the bundle in her arms. Cautiously they exited the closet keeping their eyes firmly on Daryl. The man raised his hands up by his head.

"Please...we have nothing...just don't hurt us..." The man pleaded with Daryl.

"We won't hurt you...we're just tryin' to find a safe place..." Beth tried to reassure them. "Daryl put down your weapon...you're scaring them..."

Daryl reluctantly lowered his weapon but he kept a firm grip on it ready to raise it again if needed. "Beth...get back some..." Beth sighed but did as Daryl instructed. Daryl motioned for the woman to pass by him but kept the man close to him.

The woman seemed to relax a little as she stepped closer to Beth. "Your baby...what's it's name?"

Beth smiled at her as she rubbed Ethan's back gently. "His name is Ethan..."

Daryl kept his eyes on the man. "How long ya'll been here?"

"Since everything went to hell..." The man replied.

The woman kept stepping closer towards Beth and the look on her face started to give Beth the creeps. Beth slowly started to step back to the doorway. "How old is he?" The woman asked her.

"He's about 6 months..." Beth replied as she cut her eyes over to Daryl who was still focused on the man. "Daryl?..."

The woman dropped the bundle in her arms on the floor and reached for Ethan as Beth screamed. Daryl started to raise his crossbow as he looked over his shoulder and saw the bundle the woman was carrying on the floor was just a doll wrapped in a blanket.

"YOU GET AWAY FROM HER!" Daryl tried to take aim but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. The pain shot down his arm and he couldn't keep his grip on the crossbow and dropped it to the floor.

Daryl pushed forward against the man, slamming him into the wall next to the closet. He drove his left fist hard into the man's face as many times as he could as he felt all the strength in his right arm escape. The man dropped to the floor and began pleading with Daryl for his life. Daryl paused for a moment and gripped the knife handle protruding out of his shoulder and gritted his teeth as he pulled the blade out. He cried out in pain and a wave a nausea rolled through him but without hesitation he plunged the knife deep into the man's skull. Daryl struggled back to his feet and grabbed his crossbow as he rushed out of the room. He could hear Beth's screams for help as he called out to her but suddenly after hearing a door slam, everything grew quiet.

Daryl rushed down the stairs and could see two legs in floor just outside the stairway. He jumped down the stairs, skipping half of them and as he entered the restaurant he saw Beth lying helplessly on her back. Blood beginning to pool on her chest as she struggled to breath. Daryl collapsed to his knees next to her and tried to apply pressure on the wound but blood continued to pulse out.

"HANG ON..." Daryl ordered as he looked around trying to see where the woman was with Ethan.

"Go...Ethan..." Beth struggled to speak, her voice barely audible.

"I..." Daryl knew as soon as he left her the odds of her being alive when he came back were slim. He was supposed to protect her...protect her and Ethan and he had failed at both.

"It's...ok...get...Ethan..." Beth's breathing quickly became labored and Daryl cupped her face in his hand and leaned in close. He pressed his forehead against hers and didn't bother trying to fight back his tears.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered to her then rose back to his feet, slung his crossbow over his good shoulder and rushed out the door.

Daryl frantically looked around the building for a sign of the woman and Ethan's crying caught his attention as he noticed her right as she turned down the side of another. Daryl sprinted as fast as he could towards her direction and cut down the side of the building, following the sound of the cries. The woman looked panicked as she went from door to door in the alley trying to find one that was unlocked. None were and she was trapped. Quickly she turned towards Daryl as he approached her, struggling to get a grip of his crossbow in his left hand.

"Gimmee that baby..." Daryl ordered.

The woman clutched Ethan to her chest with one arm and gripped the knife tightly in her other hand. "This is my baby...you can't take him..." She held her knife towards Daryl and he could still see it dripping with Beth's blood. Just the shear sight of it fuelled his anger even more.

"I swear to God lady...I'm gonna kill you if ya don't give him to me..." Daryl told her although he had every intention of killing her regardless for what she did to Beth.

The woman raised the blade of the knife towards Ethan as she stared at Daryl. He pulled all the strength he had and raised the crossbow with his left arm and fired. The woman's head jerked back slightly as her eyes glazed over. The knife fell from her hand as she slumped backwards. Daryl rushed towards her, slipping the crossbow onto his back crossways and grabbed hold of Ethan, pulling him against his chest. Ethan stared at him but calmed as soon as he heard his voice.

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	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Daryl staggered back towards the restaurant. As he entered the door his eyes were immediately drawn towards Beth. Her eyes glazed over as she stared blankly towards the ceiling. All the life that was once in her was now gone. Daryl struggled to fight back his own tears as he held Ethan close, shielding her from his view. "Don't look..." Daryl whispered to him. He didn't know how much Ethan understood but even if he didn't, he didn't want him to see her like that. Daryl walked up the stairs back to the room where the crib was and gently laid Ethan down. He brushed his head gently as Ethan quickly fell asleep.

Daryl looked over to the man on the floor he had killed. He couldn't help but get angry just thinking about it all again. Daryl opened up the window, dragged the man over towards it then chucked him out the window onto the ground below then closed the window back. "Fuckin' asshole..."

Daryl looked back at Ethan as he started to walk out of the room. "I'll be back soon buddy...you just sleep tight..."

Daryl walked back down stairs, grabbing a sheet from one of the beds before he went and drew the knife from his waistband before he reached the bottom. He wouldn't think about it...he'd just do what needed to be done. He stepped over next to Beth, squatted down and plunged the knife deep into her skull. He removed it just as swiftly and quickly covered her with the sheet. He sat down next to her and angrily threw the knife across the room. He drew his knees up into his chest, resting his elbows against the and bowed his head as he wept quietly.

.

Gwen and Merle stood at the top of the hill just above the lake across from the prison. They could clearly see that was as close as they were going to get. Merle looked over at Gwen as she stared hopelessly at the prison.

"If you're about to say I told you so I swear I'm going to punch you in the face!" Gwen told him and there was no sense of sarcasm in her voice.

Merle gently ran his fingers through the her hair and grabbed hold of the back of her neck. "I'm confident he's not there...they got him out...he's safe...we just have to find him..."

Gwen looked at Merle with tears in her eyes. "But how?..."

"We'll figure it out as we go...but I think I know where Daryl's headin'..." Merle told her.

Gwen stared at him and he could see she was ready for any ounce of something to give her hope.

"Me and Daryl talked about a place to go...place that might be safe...he'll head there to find us...I know he will...we just got to make it there ourselves..." Merle told her.

"What if he doesn't have Ethan...what if one of the others took him?" Gwen asked.

Merle wished he had all the answers but he didn't. "Let's just take it one step at a time...keep your eyes open...we'll search as much as we can along the way."

.

Carl woke up feeling completely disoriented. He had no idea how long he had been asleep and was confused at first to where he was. He gently shook Rick in an attempt to wake him up. "Dad...Dad?..."

Rick didn't respond.

"DAD! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" Carl shook his father frantically but he remained unresponsive. Panic started to set into Carl's mind and he pressed his ear against Rick's chest. He couldn't help but feel slightly relieved that he could still hear a heartbeat but the fact still remained he couldn't wake his father.

Carl rushed to the front door then stopped himself. He grabbed a chair from the dining room and wedged it against the front door. He couldn't risk anything getting in when he wasn't there. He ran into the kitchen, climbed onto the sink and raised the kitchen window just far enough for him to climb out. He jumped down to the ground and did his best to close the window back but leave just enough space for him to get his fingers back under to raise again when he needed.

He started running as fast as he could, not even sure where he was going or what he was hoping to find but he had to do something. He couldn't just sit around and wait for his dad to wake up. Carl noticed a small cluster of walkers ahead of him and quickly cut off to the side through the woods to avoid them. His legs quickly started to grow tired but he did his best to ignore it. He looked over his shoulder to make sure nothing was following behind him but soon after he did, he felt himself falling.

Carl rolled down the embankment, landing hard at the bottom. He grunted as he started to push himself to his feet. Looking up he noticed the small town a short distance in front him. He could find something there to help his dad. Maybe more supplies...something...he was willing to find anything at that point.

Carl cautiously entered the first store he came to, keeping an eye out for walkers and anyone else. It was hard not to focus just on what he could find. He had to make sure no one or nothing caught him by surprise. His father was all he had left and he wasn't going to lose him too. Carl found a bag behind the counter and started searching for items he could use. The place had already been ransacked but a few items still remained. Hurriedly he began shoving supplies in but was soon distracted by a noise. Carl looked over his shoulder and saw a walker staggering in. He rushed down the isle in attempt to distance himself from the walker. He didn't want to waste bullets unnecessarily. His feet almost slid out from underneath him as he came to a quick halt, another walker staggered towards him from the back stockroom. He drew his weapon but hesitated. Both walkers were heading straight for him. The gunshot would draw more but he had no choice. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The first walker dropped to the floor as Carl turned and shot the other. He had to get out of there before more came. He headed towards the exit door and noticed more walkers had made their way to the store front. There were too many out there for him to make a run for it and he couldn't afford to use up all his ammo. He rushed back to the back of the store, finding a rear exit and slowly pushed the door open just enough to look out. He didn't see anything so he pushed the door the rest of the way open and as soon as he did, a walker on the other side of the door lunged at him. Carl jerked away just out of it's reach and tried to raise his gun to fire but stumbled backwards over something, hitting the concrete so hard, it knocked the wind out of him. He gasped for air as he tried to get away from it but it reached for him again. Before he had a chance to even raise the gun again, to his surprise the walker's head seemed to just roll off it's neck and the body fell limp against his legs. Carl quickly kicked himself away from it and noticed a woman standing with a long sword in her hands.

"Those gunshots of yours attracted a whole mess of them...come on...I know someplace safe..." The woman held her hand out towards him but Carl hesitated. "Come kid...we ain't got all day..."

Carl grabbed her hand and she yanked him to his feet. She moved fast and he did his best to keep up, still struggling to catch his breath. She came to the fire escape of one of the buildings and started to climb up. Her sword rested in it's holder strung across her back. Carl stared up at her as she climbed then looked around uncertain of whether he should follow or not.

"I'm not waiting for you kid...you coming or going?" The woman called back down to him.

Carl holstered his gun and started to climb. They climbed almost to the top of the third floor but stopped short at the landing and the woman made her way over to the window and raised it. "Shut it behind you once you're through..." She instructed.

Carl nodded and followed her inside, doing as he was told. He turned around to look for her but wasn't prepared for who he saw next.

.

Daryl found a shovel and attempted to dig a grave for Beth but the pain in his shoulder weakened his arm so much that he could barely grip the shovel with both hands. It was a waste of time. He'd try again the next morning. The sun was starting to set so he made his way back to the diner. Beth would have to stay there one more night. He wasn't leaving her outside to be ravaged by walkers. He had wrapped her snuggly in the sheet. It was the best he could do for her in that moment and practically one handed. He made his way back upstairs. He peaked in on Ethan who was still sound asleep. He rested his hand on his chest for a moment and felt the small, steady rise and fall from his breathing. Daryl closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn't lose Ethan...he couldn't lose anyone else. He was wracked with guilt over Beth but he made a pledge to himself in that moment that he would die before letting anything happen to Ethan. If he had to kill everyone he came in contact with to protect him he would. He wouldn't trust anyone...no matter what...he couldn't afford to.

Daryl entered the bathroom and struggled as he took off his shirt. He just stood there for a moment and stared at himself. Blood had dried on his shoulder but it couldn't completely hide the bruising that was forming around the wound. It seemed like the more time that went by the more it hurt. He stared at himself for a moment in the mirror. It had been awhile since he had bothered to look at his own reflection. He was filthy. Daryl searched the cabinet under the sink and found a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a small first aid kit. He removed the cap and gripped the bottle tightly. He looked back up at himself and took a deep breath. The alcohol stung as he poured it over his wound. He gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath as he did it and tried cleaning the wound as best he could with the gauze he had found in the small first aid kit.

"That's gonna have to be good enough..." Daryl remarked to himself. He pressed the last bit of gauze against the wound and looked for some tape. "Fuck..." Daryl uttered as he realized there was none. He began looking around, keeping steady pressure against the wound but soon gave up and exited the bathroom. He searched in every room but found nothing. Daryl sighed in frustration and made his way back downstairs. He tried his best not to let his eyes wander towards Beth's body as he passed by her and looked behind the counter. He found a roll of duct tape, pulled off a few strips and taped the gauze to his body. "Well at least Merle would be proud...Herhsel not so much..." He looked around for some food for him and Ethan but didn't find anything. Ethan must've had the same thought because Daryl heard him start to cry. It was faint at first but loud enough to get his attention.

He made his way back upstairs and stood over Ethan's crib. Ethan cried as he stared up at Daryl with both hands shoved in his mouth, gnawing on his own fingers. Daryl couldn't help but think how sad and pathetic he looked.

"Sorry little man...I'll find ya somethin' soon...I promise..." Daryl picked him up and kissed his head, holding him close. "Come on...let's see what else we can find we can use in this place..."

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	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I know the last few chapters have been rough. I struggled with some of those choices myself! Thanks for all the feedback! Be sure to keep it up.**

**Chapter 21**

Rick struggled to open his eyes. His whole body ached and he had no idea where he was. The last thing he could remember was approaching a house with Carl but this place seemed different somehow.

"Carl?..." He called out as he tried to sit up. He jumped slightly as a figure rushed towards him but soon they came into focus...He rubbed his eyes, not sure if he was hallucinating.

"Rick...don't try to get up...you've lost a lot of blood, you need to rest but Carl's fine...he's sleeping.

"Andrea?..." Rick reached forward and gently touched her face in disbelief. She took hold of his hand and squeezed it firmly.

"Yes...it's me..." Andrea confirmed.

"How?..." Rick still somewhat in disbelief.

"That's a long story...maybe for another time but the short of it is, my friend Michonne found Carl and he told us what happened...where you were...so we brought you back here...to get better. She and I had been separated for awhile but we found each other again and now we found you..." Andrea stated.

Rick couldn't help but feel relieved. Even if it all turned out to be a dream, having a moment of relief was worth it. "Where's Carl?"

"He's just over there..." Andrea motioned towards the other side of the room and Rick squinted his eyes to see in the dimly lit room. Carl was curled up almost in the fetal position, covered in a blanket on the couch across the room. "He hasn't been asleep long...he's so exhausted but he was trying so hard to stay awake and watch over you."

"Is he alright?" Rick asked concerned.

Andrea's demeanor changed slightly and she became solemn. "As well as to be expected...he told me all you've been through...Rick I can't tell you enough how sorry I am..."

Rick couldn't help but become choked up a little. He shook his head as he regained his composure. "Let's not talk about that right now...God it's good to see you..."

"I can't help but feel like I have another piece of my family back...first Michonne...now you and Carl...you must be starving...I'll get you something to eat..." Andrea started to get up but Rick gently gripped her wrist to keep her from leaving. She sat back down next to him on the bed and looked at him confused.

"Seeing you again...gives me hope...thank you..." Rick told her.

Andrea leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Get some more rest...I'll be back soon..."

.

Daryl woke up in a chair. Ethan was asleep on his chest. He hadn't intended on sleeping sitting up with him but he guessed he was just too exhausted. His shoulder ached and was so stiff he could hardly move it. He was a wreck and he knew it. He couldn't risk leaving with Ethan in his condition. He'd have to stay until he was better and that was the last thing he had wanted to do. Daryl knew he'd have to find food, especially for Ethan. He couldn't go any longer without it.

Slowly Daryl rose to his feet, doing his best not to disturb Ethan and walked him back into the room with the crib and laid him down. "Don't worry...I'll find you something...hopefully before you wake up." Daryl whispered.

Daryl quietly walked down the stairs, deciding to search the restaurant again and then he'd venture out into the town a bit more but only as much as he had to. He hated he still couldn't deal with Beth's body with his shoulder as bad off as it just wasn't possible. He owed her more than that and couldn't help but be angry at himself for it.

As soon as he turned the knob of the stairwell door he felt something was wrong. Something clanked against the door and he paused for a moment and listened on guard. Everything seemed quiet. He pushed the door open further and heard the clanking again but this time he stepped out into the restaurant. He pulled his knife from the sheath and searched the restaurant but found no one. He noticed a bag hanging on the door knob as he walked back into the main area realizing that was what he had heard.

Daryl grabbed the bag off the door and opened it. He couldn't believe what was inside. A single can of formula rested in the bottom. Daryl rushed over to the exit door and looked around outside but didn't see a single person, just the occasional walker oblivious to his presence walking by.

Daryl hated the fact that someone had come in there and his dumb ass slept through it. How could he have let that happen, especially after what happened with Beth. "Guess I'm failing at everything..." Daryl stepped closer to Beth's body. "Wish ya were still here...don't know if I can do this on my own...you took such good care of both of them...Ethan and Judith...you didn't deserve this..."

Daryl turned away from her and headed back up the stairs. Luckily the crazy woman had kept all her baby things. He wasn't sure if she had a baby at one time or just wanted one so bad she pretended she did but it didn't matter as long as it would help Ethan. He found a few bottles and washed them up then made a bottle for Ethan. He carried it to the crib but hesitated for a moment. What if something was wrong with it? He quickly pushed the thought from his mind. Ethan needed it...it was fine...it had to be.

Gently he stroked his cheek and Ethan stirred a little. He squinched up his face and rubbed his eyes but soon they opened and looked up at Daryl. He started to whimper but Daryl stuck the bottle into his mouth and Ethan's eyes widened as he gripped at the bottle with both his hands. Eagerly he began to drink.

"Ya better slow down buddy...yer gonna make yourself sick..." Daryl told him as he couldn't help but smile down at him.

.

Glenn, Maggie and Sasha settled into an abandoned barn to give themselves a break for a day or two until they could regain their strength.

"Kind of reminds me of home a little..." Maggie remarked as they climbed up into the hayloft. Once they were all up there, they all seemed to collapse at once and couldn't help but laugh at one another. Soon though Maggie's laughter turned to tears. "I can't believe he's gone..."

Glenn quickly rushed over to comfort her as Sasha also moved closer. Glenn put his arm around her as Sasha took hold of one of her hands.

"And I don't even know what happened to Beth...what if she needs me? I can't help her..." Maggie sobbed.

"I saw her run off with Daryl...he'll protect her...you know he will...but right now we need to focus on ourselves...we can't help anyone else if we don't take care of each other right now..." Sasha told her.

"Sasha's right...we may not know where everyone else is but we're together and we'll take care of each other until we figure out a way to find them." Glenn tried to reassure her.

"Daddy...God it was horrible...he didn't deserve that...no one did but especially not him...how could that man be so evil?" Maggie stated angrily.

Sasha shook her head. "It almost doesn't seem real...I hope the Governor rots in hell..."

"I know this seems impossible...but we will find a way to get through this...I promise..." Glenn kissed Maggie's head softly. He wasn't sure he believed his own words but all he cared about in that moment was trying to comfort Maggie.

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	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I'm trying to make my chapters a little longer, this one was kind of easy to do and as you read I think you'll understand why. I'm hoping to crank out a few more chapters this week. Thanks for taking the time to review and be sure to keep it up! It helps keep me motivated.**

**Chapter 22**

Daryl slept hard the next night as well. Groggily he made his way downstairs, leaving Ethan behind in the crib to check the restaurant again. He couldn't help but wonder if his mystery person had left anything overnight again although he still didn't like the idea of anyone coming in there while he was sleeping. As much as a part of him wanted to stand guard all night, he was exhausted but had to regain his strength if he and Ethan were going to get on the move again.

Daryl cautiously opened the door and was immediately shocked. Beth's body was gone. Panic and anger filled him as he rushed outside, slamming the door behind him as he ran out in the middle of the street. "WHO ARE YOU?...SHOW YOURSELF!...WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER? YOU AIN'T GOT NO RIGHT!...FUCKIN' COWARD!" Daryl stood in the street spinning around looking for any sign of anyone but it seemed like a ghost town. He was out of breath his heart was pounding hard. He looked back towards the restaurant and noticed something on the glass door that wasn't there before. He looked around one last time before walking back inside. A piece of paper was taped to the inside glass of the door and Daryl pulled it off.

_**Looks like you could use some help...she's buried in the back where you attempted to dig**_

_** a grave yourself...crazies were burned...**_

No name...that was it. Part of Daryl was angry but another part of him was downright confused. Why would someone do that? He walked back out of the restaurant and walked behind the building where he had started to dig a grave for Beth and stopped short as soon as he saw it. A make shift cross of a grave marker with a pink ribbon tied around it marked the area where she was. Daryl stared at the ribbon for a moment, watching it blow in the breeze. It felt like a storm was coming and he couldn't help but feel relieved she was taken care of. Whoever had done this treated her with respect and he was humbled by it...grateful even. It reminded him of how much he really did need others in this world. Daryl got choked up a little but quickly fought back the emotions. "Still don't need people sneakin' around..."

Daryl walked back to the restaurant and up the stairs to check on Ethan. He was awake and babbling in the crib.

"Ya hungry boy?" Daryl asked as he picked up. Pain still radiated through his shoulder but he had a little more range of motion in it than the day before. "Fuckin' shit...sorry...yer mom would kick my ass if she heard me cussing like that in front of ya..." Daryl kissed him lightly against the head and placed him back in the crib. "I'll make yer bottle...just sit tight. Daryl went to the kitchenette area in the apartment and lit the gas stove, boiling the last of the water from the water jug the couple had. He needed to make a run for supplies but he hated leaving Ethan there alone for that long. He wasn't sure what to do but he knew he had to figure out something. Daryl stared out the window while waiting for the water to boil when something caught his eye. He saw a figure across the street come from the alley. He squinted in attempt to see them more clearly. They were wearing a black hooded sweatshirt that was big and bulky with one hand tucked in their pocket and the other holding onto the bag thrown over their shoulder. He couldn't make out if it was a woman or a man but he rushed downstairs and out the door. By the time he got to the alley he didn't see a sign of them any longer.

"Where the fuck?" Daryl couldn't understand how they had disappeared so quickly. "I KNOW YER HERE! I SAW YA FROM THE WINDOW...COME OUT!" Daryl peered in through the windows of the nearby buildings but still didn't see any sign of them. He sighed in frustration but headed back to the restaurant to take care of Ethan. He'd have to make do with whatever supplies he could rustle up in the restaurant until he could figure out who he was dealing with.

.

"Guess my trackin' skills have fallen a little short...I lost the trail..." Merle remarked as he stood in the woods and looked in all directions.

Gwen sighed heavily but remained quiet.

"We'll find a place to settle in for the night...then we need to start heading northeast...get to the cabin. We don't want Daryl waitin' too long there for us." Merle remarked.

"You don't even know if he's heading that way...if he's even alive..." Gwen remarked softly.

"NOW I'M ABOUT SICK OF ALL THIS DEBBIE DOWNER SHIT! MY BROTHER SURE AS HELL IS ALIVE AND SO IS OUR SON! YA DON'T LIKE WHAT I'M DOIN' THEN LET'S HEAR YER BRIGHT IDEAS..." Merle fumed and couldn't control his own outburst. It was true though...Gwen had been very cold towards him since the prison and all it was doing was making things worse.

"Don't yell at me...you have no one to blame for all this but yourself...we're in this mess because of you..." Gwen snapped back.

Merle just glared at her. He was starting to wonder if things between them were even fixable at this point. "Fuck you...and fuck this whole place...go wherever the fuck you want..." Merle turned away and started walking. He wanted to say more to her but he didn't see the point anymore in trying with her.

He could hear her following behind him crying. He hated hearing it but he wasn't stopping and he wasn't going to turn around and try to comfort her. She could think what she wanted to think. She could blame him all she wanted but no matter what, he couldn't undo what had been done. All he could do now was try to make things right. Daryl had to Ethan...he just had to have him. Merle refused to accept any other scenario.

They continued walking until they approached an old train depot. Some of the glass windows were broken out and the area was open but at least it would provide a little shelter. Merle could tell a storm was about to hit and he didn't want to be caught out in the open. Gwen walked in behind him still not saying a word. She wiped the tears from her face and Merle turned back towards her.

"Gonna go find some wood...build us a fire since the temperature's dropping from the storm comin'..." Merle stated.

Gwen nodded her head but didn't look at him.

Merle headed back out and was immediately greeted by a strong wind, it almost pushed him back a few steps. It was going to be a bad storm and he hated that they hadn't found something better. His stomach grumbled as he searched for firewood. He wished he had time to hunt or would stumble across something edible but it was already starting to sprinkle rain. He rushed back to the train depot and dug a small pit for the fire. If he hadn't seen Gwen sitting against the wall he would've sworn he was there alone she was so quiet. Rain started to heavily pour, beating down on the tin roof of the building.

"Why don't ya come over here and get warm..." Merle told Gwen as he sat by the fire. She sat still and didn't respond. "Fine...have it yer way..." Merle mumbled under his breath. Slowly out of the corner of his eye he could see Gwen get up and approach. She sat down next to him and just stared at the fire. Merle looked at her and could see the anguish all over her face.

"Do you think he's hungry? My milk will probably dry up before we find him again..." Gwen stated as she continued to stare at the fire.

"He won't starve...they'll find somethin'..." Merle replied.

Slowly Gwen cut her eyes over towards him. "How can you be so relaxed over all this? I worry about him every second. Is he being fed? Is he cold? Is he tired? Is he hurt?...I just can't take this..." Gwen's eyes filled with tears.

"That what you think? That I ain't worried? That I don't think about all those things? Hell...it's fuckin' pourin' rain...I can only hope he's somewhere safe and dry...I worry just as much as you...but I ain't gonna let it eat me alive...I ain't gonna be no good to him when I find him if I do that...and neither are you." Merle told her.

Gwen bowed her head. "I'm sorry..." She whispered.

Merle scooted closer towards her. "Come on..." He patted his leg. "Lay down...rest yer head...try to get some sleep, you'll feel better if ya do...I'll stay awake and keep watch..."

Gwen slowly laid down and rested her head against his thigh. Merle gently brushed her hair away from her face and stroked her cheek.

.

Daryl figured the sound of the rain helped put Ethan to sleep. The sun was starting to set and Daryl decided he was going to hide out in the restaurant for the night and see if the mystery person stopped by again. He didn't understand why someone would do something to help him but then hide from him. He wanted to know who it was and why they were doing it. He sat there, hidden by the counter as he kept his eyes on the front door. It was pouring rain, maybe he was wasting his time. Did it really even matter as long as they weren't endangering him or Ethan in any way? Daryl could only assume it was just his own curiosity getting the better of him. He sat there for hours and was about to give up when he noticed movement outside in the street. It was dark and he couldn't make out for sure if it was a walker or not in the moonlight. The rain had started to let up but hadn't completely stopped. Daryl crouched down low to assure he wouldn't be seen and he watched as the figure approached and paused for a moment at the door. The person had the hood pulled up on their sweatshirt and Daryl still couldn't make out any details of their face. His heart started to beat rapidly as he heard the door open and the rattling of the plastic bag the person was carrying. They hung the bag on the door knob of the door leading to the upstairs apartment and turned back towards the exterior door. Daryl quietly popped up from his hiding place and quickly approached with his crossbow aimed.

"Take another step and I'll shoot..." Daryl ordered.

The person stopped and slightly looked over their shoulder. Their face still hidden in the darkness of the night with the dark hood over their head.

"Show me your hands..." Daryl ordered as he stepped closer. He couldn't help but notice the person's small frame and wondered if it was a woman.

The person slowly raised their hands but still didn't utter a word.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked. "Why are you tryin' to help me?"

Daryl stepped closer but his trigger hand started to shake from the pain in his shoulder. The crossbow was heavy and holding that position was trying and keeping most of the weight in his hand was proving difficult. "Step over there...away from the door..." Daryl ordered as he nodded to his right.

The person kept their hands raised and did as Daryl instructed but remained silent.

Daryl kept the crossbow pointed at them but pulled one of the handles of the bag off the door so he could look inside. He kept glancing between the bag and the person. The bag contained a couple of cans of food, diapers and some jars of baby food. It wasn't much but it was something. Daryl noticed a piece of paper inside the bag and pulled it out. He struggled to open it one handed but did and read the note.

"Don't mistake my kindness for friendship..." Daryl read...He laughed a little to himself then looked back towards the person. He steadily gripped the crossbow and kept aim towards them. "Take off the hood...step into the moonlight...let me see your face..."

He could hear the person sigh heavily as they slowly pushed back the hood and stepped forward into the light coming through the window. Daryl could make out the soft features and saw that it was a woman. Her hair was sloppily pulled back and tucked into her sweatshirt.

"Happy now?" The woman remarked sarcastically.

"What's your name? What do you want?" Daryl asked as he slowly lowered the crossbow.

The woman laughed a little. "Oh so now that you realize I'm a woman I'm no threat to you?...You're no longer concerned?"

"Should I be?...What the hell do you want?" Daryl asked again.

"Nothing...can I go now?" the woman asked.

"Ya can if ya answer my question..." Daryl replied.

"And if I don't?...you intend on shooting me with that thing?" The woman asked but didn't seem the least bit afraid.

Daryl sighed in frustration. "Why?...at least tell me that if ya ain't gonna tell me nothin' else..."

"Why not?..." The woman replied. She rolled her eyes as if she was irritated at herself for giving up. "Doesn't matter who I am...I felt sorry for you...and your baby you got up there...I had the stuff and I sure as hell don't need it, found the rest when I went lookin' for supplies...no rug rats where I'm stayin'...just because the world has gone to shit doesn't mean all of humanity has to..."

"Fine...that explains the supplies but what about Beth? I mean...the woman I had here...ya buried her...why didn't ya just burn her with the other two that were here. Why did ya choose to bury her? Why did ya even bother at all?" Daryl asked.

The woman looked down at her feet and brushed one against the floor. "You aren't in no condition with that bum shoulder of yours...I'd want someone to do that for my loved one...not just let them sit there and rot...as for the crazies...they didn't deserve a decent burial...he was a fuckin' pervert and she was crazy as a loon...I don't know what happened between y'all but I was glad when I realized you killed 'em...might sound heartless but it's true..."

"You see us come here? Ya knew they were crazy and ya just let us walk in? They killed her...THEY KILLED BETH! AND YA JUST LET US WALK RIGHT INTO IT?" Daryl couldn't help but grow angry as he raised the crossbow towards her again.

"I'm sorry about your wife or whoever she was...I didn't think it would go that far...didn't think they had that in 'em...guess it was that baby of yours that set 'em off...maybe I should've figured that would happen with the way she carried that doll around all the time...maybe I should've tried to stop you or warned you somehow but I didn't...I feel bad about that, I do but I can't change what happened...thought the least I could do was help you...I won't try no more...I won't bother you again..." The woman started to walk towards the door.

"I didn't say ya could go..." Daryl kept the crossbow on her as she walked.

The woman grabbed hold of the doorknob and started to pull it open but looked back at Daryl. "Then shoot me...but I don't think you really want to do that..."

The woman exited the restaurant and started to walk back across the street. She was right, Daryl didn't want to hurt her even though he was angry she had watched them the entire time. He just stood in the doorway and watched her walk into the darkness of the night and disappear.

.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I felt like I've been getting a little way from the Gwen/Merle storyline so the next two chapters will probably be devoted to just them...I think they need some time for just them without the addition of all the other characters. Hope you enjoy and please review!**

**Chapter 23**

Gwen struggled to wake up. She surprised herself with how hard she slept but was even more surprised when she looked around and didn't see Merle anywhere. The fire looked as if it had burned out long ago and she had no idea how long she had been there alone. Panicked, she jumped to her feet and ran towards the entrance of the train depot. Frantically she looked around but didn't see any sign of Merle.

"MERLE?!" She couldn't help herself as she started to scream his name uncontrollably.

Merle rushed from around the corner of the building with an armful of wood but dropped it as he saw her and ran up to her. She was as white as a sheet when he grabbed hold of her arm and she just stared at him looking lost and confused. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"You weren't here...you were gone...you were just...gone..." Gwen stuttered.

Merle sighed in relief then gripped her arm tightly. "Ya gotta pull yourself together..."

"I thought you left...I thought you just left me alone..." Gwen replied still in a state of shock.

Merle grabbed hold of the side of her head and pressed his wrist guard against the other and shook her slightly. "GWEN! GET IT TOGETHER! YER FALLIN' APART AND I CAN'T CARRY YOU...BUT I AIN'T NEVER LEAVIN' YOU...NEVER...YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Gwen just shook her head and he let go of her. "Now come on...help me carry this firewood...shit is wet...but maybe we'll get lucky and I can still start it..."

Gwen silently followed him and picked up some of the wood and they walked back inside the depot. Merle tried his hardest to restart the fire but the wood was too wet. He looked back at Gwen a few times and couldn't help but notice she still seemed in a daze. Eventually Merle gave up, sat back and stared at her until she looked up at him.

"Yer slippin' away from me...I need ya here..." Merle told her. Still not speaking she just nodded her head. "Ya still got a knife on ya?"

Gwen nodded and pulled up her pants leg slightly, revealing a knife in her boot.

"Good...now take it out...grip it tight...we're gonna get on the move again...see if we can find some supplies...you ready?" Merle asked.

Again Gwen nodded and started to stand. Merle sighed heavily and shook his head.

They walked in the woods for what seemed like hours. The deafening silence from her worried Merle even more with each step. He didn't know how he would keep them both alive if she checked out completely and she was close to it. After awhile they came to a road and followed it into what looked like a deserted town. Merle noticed a surplus store and started to head towards it. They both stopped near the entrance and Merle could see movement inside. He looked back at Gwen, who was clearly in a fog and shook his head.

"There walkers in there...but there's also supplies...ya need to get ready...we're gonna kill 'em..." Merle stated as she slowly looked in his direction. "God dammit Gwen..." Merle grabbed her arm and turned her towards him then slapped her hard across the cheek. Her body tensed and she looked shocked as she drew her hand to her cheek but then looked at Merle angrily.

"OW!" Gwen glared at him with a combination of anger and surprise.

"That hurt me more than it hurt you now come on..." Merle opened the door and began cutting down the walkers in his path. He glanced back at Gwen but she was stabbing one in the head and kicking another away with her foot. Merle grinned a little then focused back on the walkers in his path. "YA HOLLER IF YA GET INTO TROUBLE!" . Merle called to her and charged forward.

Soon the only movement in the store came from them. Merle looked around, bloody and out of breath as he turned towards Gwen and saw her on top of one walker on the floor. She pulled her knife out of it's skull then plunged it in again over and over.

"I hate you...I hate this place...I hate it...I hate it..." Gwen repeated as she continued to stab at it.

"Come on...it's dead...yer just gonna wear yourself out..." Merle walked over to her as she struggled, unable to get the knife out a final time. She started to stand and rest her foot on it's head to attempt to pull the knife out again when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off the walker. Gwen started kicking and flailing her legs.

"NO PUT ME DOWN! I'M NOT DONE!" She screamed as he walked across the room carrying her, kicking the whole way. Finally Merle put her down and pushed her against the wall. Gwen continued to scream and started pounding her fists against his chest..

"THAT'S IT...GET IT OUT...GET IT ALL OUT OF YA!" Merle insisted. "BEAT ON ME ALL YOU WANT!"

Quickly her screams turned into tears but after awhile she started to settle down and looked into his eyes. She was out of breath as Merle cupped her face in his hand and wiped the tears and blood off of her cheek.

"Damn you're a hot mess!" Merle remarked then planted his mouth roughly over hers. He pressed his body hard against her and reached down, grabbing hold of her thighs and lifting her as she wrapped her legs around him. Merle moaned as he pressed her against the wall, thrusting his pelvis against her as she eagerly returned his kiss. Abruptly she stopped and shoved him away, keeping her arms locked as he tried to lean to kiss her again.

"Put me down!..." Gwen demanded as she gently beat on his shoulder.

Merle laughed but did as she commanded. "Well welcome back sweetness...damn...ya got me all hot and bothered going all ape shit on that piece of shit...we haven't had a good fuck in awhile now..."

"Shut up Merle...let's get what we need and get out of here..." Gwen started to walk away but Merle grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his arms.

"We got time for a little somethin'...come on...ya been a big pain in the ass lately...I deserve it!" Merle smiled.

Gwen glared at him but he could see she was fighting the urge to smile. "Not here...not now...we need to find our son..."

Merle grabbed her chin and kissed her. "That's more like it...just makin' sure yer still with me...come on..." Merle turned her around and started to shove her away but slapped her hard on the ass. "That's my Gwenny...she ain't got no time for nonsense..." He laughed.

.

Merle and Gwen spent the bulk of the day searching the small town for supplies. Finally they settled into one of the homes just on the edge of town for the night. Gwen dropped both duffle bags she was carrying on the floor as well as pulled the one off she had crossways over her body.

"Oh my God I don't think I've ever been so tired...or dirty..." Gwen remarked as she found a few towels in one of the closets and headed towards the bathroom.

Merle followed suite and dropped all the bags he was carrying in the floor and pulled some clean clothes out of one for himself. He could hear Gwen start the shower.

"Thank God for well water!" Gwen called out.

"I'm right behind ya!" Merle entered the bathroom and started to undress.

Gwen shivered in the shower as she scrubbed herself as fast as she could. "You better stay outta here...I want to get clean...it's too cold to mess around in here..."

"Well half the fun is warmin' ya up." Merle insisted.

Gwen struggled to rinse the soap out of her hair as she turned towards Merle's voice. He was standing at the end of the shower curtain, pushed slightly open just watching her shower. Gwen couldn't help but laugh a little. "You are filthy don't you dare step in this shower with me..."

"Well I can at least watch...ya know...I remember a time when you were too bashful for me to even see you naked...now look at ya...all out in the open like..." Merle grinned.

Gwen pushed the other side of the shower curtain open, hopped out and grabbed a towel, quickly wrapping it around herself. "Shut up Merle...now get in there and clean up..."

Merle stepped in but his whole body quickly tensed up when the cold water hit his body. "Holy shit! My balls are gonna crawl back up in my body it's fuckin' cold in here...how the fuck did you stand this?"

"I pushed a baby out of my vagina I can stand anything..." Gwen called out to him.

Merle rushed to scrub himself clean but he stayed in the shower as long as he could stand it because he didn't know when he'd have the opportunity for another. He also couldn't help but hope Gwen would be more in the mood with them both clean and that was something else he wasn't sure when he'd have the opportunity for again and he was going to take full advantage of it. Once he was finished, he turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist. He stepped out into the bedroom and noticed Gwen just sitting on the bed, her hair still dripping wet with the towel wrapped around her.

"What's the matter with ya?" Merle asked as he stepped closer to her.

Gwen looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I wasn't thinking about him..." She spoke softly as a tear streamed down her cheek. "I...I was distracted...when we came here...the shower...I wasn't thinking about him...he's out there and he could be all alone and I wasn't even thinking about him..." Gwen seemed to stare off into nothing and Merle quickly sat beside her.

"Look at me..." Merle demanded. "Gwen...don't do this..." Merle grabbed her chin and turned her face towards his.

"How could I do that?...What kind of mother am I?" Gwen started to cry as Merle cupped her face in his hand.

"I swear to God I will slap you again Gwen...you stop that...STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" Merle couldn't help but raise his voice at her.

"STOP YELLING AT ME!" Gwen cried.

Merle wrapped his arms around her and felt her body collapse into his. "I don't want to yell at ya but ya were doin' so good...ya gotta keep it together...no more time to feel sorry...he knows we're thinkin' 'bout him...he knows...but ya can't punish yerself for gettin' distracted...it's gonna happen...hell it's good for ya...ya can't dwell on him not bein' here all the time...it's gonna eat ya alive...ya gotta listen to me...ya just gotta..."

Gwen slowly sat up and wiped the tears from her face and nodded her head. Merle got up, went back into the bathroom and came back out with another towel. "Come 'ere..." Merle sat down next to her again and started gently drying her hair with the towel. "Daryl has him...I just know he does...he'll take good care of him, he's always been a big girl anyhow..."

Gwen couldn't help but laugh a little as she continued to wipe away her tears.

"That's my Gwenny...ya gotta keep tellin' yerself...now tell me..." Merle ordered.

"We'll find him..." Gwen nodded her head.

"Say it again..." Merle demanded.

"We'll find him..." Gwen repeated.

Merle stopped drying her hair and laid the towel across the pillow. "Yer ice cold...crawl under them covers..." Merle pulled the comforter and sheet back as Gwen crawled in. "Ya don't need that..." Merle remarked as he pulled the towel off from around her and dropped it and his own in the floor and crawled in with her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, tucking the covers tightly around them both as they both shivered slightly from the cold. He laid there in silence with her for a few moments then cleared his throat. Gwen looked up at him and gently brushed his cheek with her hand.

"I don't know what I'd do without you..." She remarked.

"You'd be a big fuckin' mess..." Merle remarked. Gwen couldn't help but laugh a little. "Ya know..." Merle smirked. "I know a way we could warm up faster..."

"You intend to show me or keep talking?" Gwen asked.

Merle paused for a moment and looked into her eyes. "Shit ya don't have to tell me twice..." Merle rolled on top of her pulling the covers completely over their heads...

.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Sorry for such the long delay but between the holidays and work I didn't have much time to write. I'm hoping to post a bunch of chapters close together to make up for it. Thanks for your reviews and words of encouragement.**

**Chapter 24**

The sound of thunder startled Merle awake. Opening his eyes, he realized Gwen wasn't lying next to him in the bed. Quickly he sat up to look around and noticed Gwen standing by the window with the bed sheet wrapped around her as she stared out. The sun was just beginning to rise and softly lit her face.

Merle got up and walked over to her. He slipped his arms around her waist and softly kissed her bare shoulder. She leaned back against him, tilting her head slightly to the side as Merle traced the line up her neck with his mouth.

"Don't worry...he's somewhere warm and dry...I promise." Merle said softly.

Gwen turned towards him slightly for forced a smile. "You've taken up mind reading?"

Merle smirked "It ain't rocket science..."

"No...I guess it's not...I hope you're right..." Gwen remarked. She started to pull away from him but he squeezed her more tightly.

"Where do ya think you're goin'?" Merle pressed himself firmly against her.

"It's daylight...we need to keep moving..." Gwen insisted as Merle sighed heavily and reluctantly released her.

"It wouldn't hurt to rest here another day..." Merle told her.

Gwen looked at him shocked. "I'm not wasting time here while my son's out there who knows where."

"Our son..." Merle glared back at her.

Gwen's face softened. "I didn't mean it like that..."

"Would do you good to get some more rest...we ain't gonna cover much ground in this weather..." Merle told her.

Gwen sat on the foot of the bed. "I just hate doing nothing."

"We ain't doin' nothin'...you need to get yer strength back so you can take care of our boy and there's plenty of shit to go through in this house, see what supplies we can scrounge up..." Merle reassured her.

"Alright...I don't like it but I guess you're right..." Gwen started to get back up but Merle grabbed her arm and pulled her back on the bed.

"You...are stayin' here...get some real sleep...I'll search through the house." Merle told her. He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her for a moment.

Gwen crawled back in the bed as Merle got up and got dressed. Before he even had a chance to leave the room, she had already fallen asleep. Merle smiled and shook his head as he headed towards the kitchen.

.

Merle found a few cans of food shoved back in the cabinet. He cracked open a can of baked beans, quickly eating it as he continued to pull a few items from the cabinets. He rummaged through the rest of the cabinet and placed all the items they could use on the counter. He started to head back towards the bedroom when he heard a rustling at the front door. Merle paused thinking at first it was just the wind from the storm but just before he could reach the door, it opened.

Carol screamed as she backed against the doorway, startled by the sight of Merle as she opened the door. She was soaking wet and shivering as she tried to catch her breath.

"Shit...thought I was rid of you for good...why don't ya just go back the way ya came." Merle grabbed her arm and started to shove her out the door back into the storm but she dug her heels in.

"Merle...please...you can't send me back out there..." Carol pleaded as she struggled with every last ounce of energy she had.

Merle sighed, jerking her hard back into the house as he slammed the door. Carol barely kept herself from face planting as she fell to the floor. She couldn't help but collapse the rest of the way as she rolled onto her back, gasping for air.

Merle started to pace the floor next to her. "Ya got somethin' chasin' ya? Cause I swear to God if ya led shit back here I'll fed ya to them myself."

"No...just trying...to get out...of the storm..." Carol struggled to speak.

Gwen quickly came rushing down the hallway with her gun raised wearing just a large flannel shirt. Merle couldn't help but grin as he stared at her bare legs.

"Looks like you forgot somethin'..." Merle laughed.

"Oh my God...Carol!" Gwen lowered her gun and rushed down beside her.

"Great...now I guess she's stayin'..." Merle complained.

Gwen shot a dirty look towards Merle. "Would you get her some towels?"

Merle grunted and started to walk down the hallway as Gwen called out to him.

"NEXT TIME I THINK YOU'RE IN DANGER I'LL BE SURE TO TAKE THE TIME TO PUT PANTS ON!" She remarked sarcastically.

Carol grabbed hold of her arm and struggled to sit up. "Daryl...is he here too?"

"No...we don't know where anyone else is...not even Ethan..." Gwen told her as she helped her to her feet. "Let's get you into some dry clothes before you catch your death."

.

Merle stood in the doorway and watched as Gwen helped tuck an exhausted Carol into the bed in the spare bedroom. Carol looked pale and weak but as much as Merle hated having her there, he half welcomed the distraction for Gwen. As much as she had improved the last few days, he couldn't help but worry she slip back into being lost within herself.

"Just rest for now...I'll find something for you to eat..." Gwen told her as she laid another blanket across the bed.

Merle stepped out of the way for her to exit and followed her towards the kitchen.

.

"What all do we have for food? She needs something with protein...she hasn't eaten anything since the prison...to be honest I'm surprised she made it here..." Gwen told him as she began looking through the cans. Merle noticed her hands were shaking.

He stepped closer and grabbed hold of one of her hands as she looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with tears but she fought them back.

"Talk to me...what's runnin' through that head of yours?..." Merle asked her.

Gwen leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him and sighed deeply. "She hoped we had answers...to what happened to the others but I told her we didn't know..."

Merle couldn't help but be confused. "So...why's that got ya upset?"

"I was just hoping she'd have answers for us." Gwen told him.

"We don't need her answers...we already know...he's fine...if he ain't I'd feel it in my bones and so would you." Merle insisted. He pulled away from her slightly and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on...take the bitch her food so she ain't got nothin' to complain about..."

Gwen took a deep breath and nodded her head.

.

Merle walked back into the main bedroom as he left Gwen to take care of Carol. He noticed the jewelry box sitting on top of the dresser. Merle flipped it open and started looking through the jewelry. He laughed a little to himself at how gaudy some of it was.

"What are you doing?" He heard Gwen ask.

"Nothin'...just bein' nosey..." Merle remarked. "She eat?"

"Yeah, but not much...I think she's too exhausted to. I left her some food in there, she can eat once she sleeps a little." Gwen told him then sighed heavily.

"What now?" Merle asked.

"The day's half over...she's in no condition to leave first thing tomorrow..." Gwen told him.

Merle shrugged. "Then she can stay here..."

"I...I don't think we should leave her...she's in no condition to defend herself. I hate saying that...I don't want to lose anymore time but I don't see how we can just leave her in good conscience either." Gwen remarked as she walked over to the bed and flopped down on her back as she stared at the ceiling. " I hate this..."

"What the hell are ya talkin' about? I thought I was gonna have to tie ya to the bed this morning to make ya get some rest and now ya just wanna stay here? Cause of that bitch? Ya gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me!..." Merle barked as he sat roughly on the bed.

Gwen sat up next to him. "You know I hate every day that goes by that Ethan isn't with us...but I just want to make sure she's ok...that's all..."

Merle looked into her eyes. He hated Carol for how she always seemed to be on his case but he understood why she felt that way. Carol helped her when they were apart and Gwen couldn't just turn her back on her. Merle had kept telling her to trust Daryl had Ethan and was keeping him safe...if he insisted now it would look like he didn't believe himself what he had been telling her.

"I still gotta find us some wheels...it'll give me a chance to round up as much gas as I can..."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Daryl had ripped a sheet a made a make shift sling for his arm for his wounded shoulder. He knew if it was going to heal he'd have to quit moving it so much.

Ethan squirmed in his crib as Daryl leaned over to check on him. Ethan smiled up at Daryl with his big blue eyes as he chewed on his fingers.

"Ya don't have a clue how things are here do ya?...Wish I could forget as easily as you...wake up smilin' everyday...hell I don't think I ever did that even before everything went to hell." Daryl told him.

Daryl walked down the hallway to the kitchen area and made Ethan a bottle. He carried it back into the room and Ethan eagerly reached for it, opening his mouth wide. Daryl couldn't help but laugh a little at him. He let go of the bottle for a moment and watched as Ethan struggled to hold it. It rolled off his chest a few times but Daryl gently placed it back until Ethan finally had a good grip on it himself. Daryl leaned against the crib and just watched him drink.

"Look at you...see ya don't need me for that no more...you'll be shootin' my crossbow in no time." Daryl remarked.

Ethan stared at him intensely but never once stopped drinking from his bottle until it was empty.

Daryl heard a knock at the door at the bottom of the stairs. Soon it turned into a constant banging as he rushed down the stairs and jerked it open. Water dripped from her clothes and hair from the storm outside. The woman pushed her way in before Daryl could even speak. She rushed up the stairs and he chased after her.

"WAIT...STOP...WHAT THE HELL YA DOIN'?" Daryl tried to grab hold of her but she was moving to fast and being wet she practically slipped right through his hands. She started looking in each room until Daryl caught up with her and grabbed her arm just before she reached Ethan's room.

The woman was out of breath and her face was flushed. "No time to explain...we gotta go...get your stuff..."

"I ain't goin' anywhere with ya unless ya tell me what's goin' on..." Daryl insisted.

"People are coming this way and we don't want to be there when they get here...please...just trust me and let's go...I know someplace safe but we gotta go now."

Daryl didn't really know a thing about her but the conviction in her voice and look on her face gave him the chills. Under normal circumstances he would've told her to take a hike but he had a nagging feeling he should listen to her.

He rushed into Ethan's room, grabbed the back pack from under the crib and shoved a few baby items in it.

"Get the cans of formula from the kitchen..." He ordered the woman.

Daryl took the sling off his shoulder, shoved it in the backpack front pocket then struggled to slip both arms through his leather vest. He grabbed his crossbow, slipping the strap crossways across his body. He shoved his handgun in his waist band. He lifted Ethan from his crib and quickly bundled him up in clothes and a hat then rested Ethan on his hip then grabbed the backpack from the floor.

The woman returned with the formula and he handed the backpack towards her. "Shove them in there and slip it on your back...you armed?" Daryl asked.

She pulled a handgun from her back waist band and nodded. "You ready? Then follow me."

Daryl followed as he held Ethan close as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Cautiously she opened the door then peered out before opening it all the way and rushed over towards the exterior door. She looked down towards the north end of town and then opened the door.

Daryl tucked Ethan in his jacket as best he could but as they rushed out into the storm he could feel Ethan jump slightly in his arms as the rain beat down on them both. "I know buddy...just hang in there..." He told him as he followed the woman.

She kept close to the building as she crept to the corner to peer around. She squinted her eyes as she struggled to see but soon rounded the front. Daryl hated not knowing who they were looking out for and how many as he started to second guess his decision to follow her. The next building had a canopy and shielded them briefly from the rain.

"What the hell is goin' on?" Daryl asked.

The woman shushed him and began to move again but this time cut down the alley towards the woods. Daryl kept looking over his shoulder but continued to follow. He slowed his pace through the trees as he did his best to shield Ethan from the debris. Soon they came to a clearing and Daryl could see a farm house ahead of them. As he got closer he could see it was in shambles, practically falling apart before his eyes. He thought this couldn't be right but she continued on past the house towards the back and he reluctantly continued to follow. She stopped for a moment and looked around seeming slightly disoriented but rushed over towards the well. He watched her turn her back towards the well then count her steps as she walked out into the yard. Suddenly she stopped, squatted down and Daryl could see her digging in the ground with her hands. He looked back over his shoulder towards the town but didn't see anyone. When he turned back he saw the door open to an underground cellar. The woman was out of sight but soon he saw her head pop up from the cellar.

"COME ON...HURRY!" She waved at him to follow.

Daryl looked back one more time, struggling to see through the rain then quickly walked down the stairs of the cellar into the ground. The woman slammed the door shut and it was soon pitch dark except for the slight glow from the flashlight in her hand as she slipped a board on the back of the double doors keeping anyone else from opening. She turned towards him, slightly blinding him for a moment from the flashlight and walked past him then turned on a lantern resting on a self.

Daryl looked around and noticed a row of shelves and a single cot with a pillow and blankets. "What is this place?"

"My uncle owned this property...it's why I came to this town in the first place...he was one of those people who liked to be prepared for everything...well...almost everything, don't think he ever envisioned this...and when he was in the doghouse with my aunt he'd sleep down here." She told him.

She slipped the back pack off her back and tossed it towards Daryl's feet. Daryl laid Ethan on the cot and removed his wet clothes. Ethan started to crawl away from him on the cot as he searched for dry clothes in the back pack. Daryl struggled to keep him close but once he found a toy in the bottom of the pack, Ethan's attention quickly focused in on it as he sat still and started to play with it. Daryl sighed with relief as he stood up and slipped on his leather vest and wet shirt.

The woman had strung a line from one end of the cellar to the other. "Toss it here..." She reached towards him and Daryl passed her his clothes. She hung them up and reached towards him again.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"Your other shirt...it's wet too..." She replied.

Daryl looked down at his sleeveless shirt as it clung tightly to his chest. "It's alright..."

"Don't be ridiculous...it's soaked...you'll catch a cold leaving it on." She told him.

Reluctantly Daryl unbuttoned it and struggled to slip his injured shoulder out of the sleeve. His shoulder throbbed and he felt like the more he moved, the more it seemed to stiffen. The woman took his other shirt and hung it to dry. He couldn't help but stare at her as she took off her sweatshirt and her T-shirt down to just a tank top and hung her clothes next to his. She looked up and caught Daryl staring.

"What are you staring at?" She glared at him.

Daryl could feel his face turn red as he quickly looked away. He stepped over to the line and draped Ethan's clothes over it then sat on the cot next to him.

"You normally this shy with women?" She asked.

Daryl glared up at her for a minute then directed his attention back towards Ethan. "I don't know whatcha mean..."

"Well...you were embarrassed to take your shirt off in front of me then when I caught you watching me you blushed..." She stated.

"Whatever...what are we doin' here? Who'd we run from?" Daryl asked.

The woman smirked at him for a moment then grew serious and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not certain it was them but it looked like them from a distance..."

"Who?" Daryl asked.

The woman sighed and turned away from him for a moment. "Some really bad...fucked up people...people you want to make sure you stay far far away from."

"I don't understand..." Daryl stated as he looked at her confused.

She stared blankly at him for a moment, then covered her mouth with her hand and stared at her feet. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

"Or I just might..." Daryl replied.

"Just trust me on this...they're bad people and you're in no condition to tangle with them." She remarked.

Daryl stared intensely at her. "Tell me..." He said softly but still with sterness.

The woman looked away from him amd sighed deeply. When her eyes returned to his, his were still locked on her. "If you thought the walkers were bad, these people are worse...at least you know the walkers want to eat you...you don't expect other survivors to..." She told him.

Daryl laughed a little to himself in disbelief. "What?!"

The woman rolled her eyes and started to distance herself from him but he reached up and grabbed hold of her hand. "Wait...you mean like cannibals?" Daryl still couldn't fully wrap his mind around it.

"Not like...they are..." She insisted. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"It ain't that...it's just so..." Daryl struggled to find the right words.

"Unbelievable..." She stated.

"Yeah...how do you know this?" He asked.

"I just know...Just...nevermind..." She told him as she turned away and walked over to the shelf.

Daryl wasn't sure if she was actually looking for something or just pretending to.

"They were heading towards town and they outnumber us...with your shoulder and that baby I figured it wasn't worth waiting around to be certain..." She told him.

Daryl looked at Ethan and his stomach turned. What she was saying sounded so insane but so was the world they were living in. He guessed anything was possible.

The woman brought a box over to Daryl and opened it up. "Scoot closer..." She ordered as she looked at the duct tape covering his injured shoulder. "That probably needs cleaning out better or it's just going to get infected."

Daryl was silent but cringed as she tended to his shoulder. It had been difficult to reach one handed so if it helped him heal faster, he welcomed it. When she finished she bandaged it for him.

"You never told me your name..." Daryl said softly.

She walked back to the shelf and put the box with the medical supplies back on it. "Annabelle...Anna for short."

"Daryl...the girl I was with...Beth...she wasn't my wife...just a good friend." Daryl told her. "I appreciate what ya did for her...for both of us..."

"It hard to trust people these days Daryl...I don't know if I can really even trust you...I keep telling myself I'm just going to be on my own...stay away from everyone...I guess I'm just stubborn that way, maybe loneliness gets the better of me. I can't help but hope the next person I come across is ok...I guess I just can't give up all hope for humanity...not yet at least." Anna told him.

"I know..." Daryl remarked.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Looks like the rain's lettin' up.". Merle remarked as he pushed back the curtain slightly from the window.

"Also looks like more activity out there too..." Gwen stated as she did the same to the window next to his.

Merle sighed heavily and shook his head. "I knew she'd bring 'em..."

"Merle come on...you can't blame Carol for this...they're freakin' everywhere anyways..." Gwen stepped away from the window and started sorting through the duffle bags trying to make sure each were weighted equally or as close as possible. Merle had found a third bag as he rummaged through the house.

"Don't be givin' her all our good shit..." Merle snapped.

Gwen looked at him blankly for a moment. "Just stop..."

"She ain't comin' with us...she's lucky I'm lettin' you give her anything..." Merle barked.

Gwen laughed a little to herself and continued sorting.

"What the hell you laughin' at?" He stepped closer towards her.

Gwen smirked then looked back at him. "The fact that you think you let me do stuff..."

Merle couldn't help but grow angrier at the fact that she was laughing at him. He pointed the blade of his wrist guard at her face. "Let me remind you whose been handlin' things since I dragged your ass from that prison...you've been fallin' apart this whole time but I've kept it together...I'VE HELD EVERYTHING TOGETHER...YOU...ME...EVERYTHING!" Merle pointed the blade back towards himself. "ME! AND DON'T YOU FORGET THAT!"

"Point that blade at me one more time like that and I'm going to shove it right up your ass!" Gwen gritted her teeth as she glared back at him. "She's coming with us...this isn't up for debate."

"I AIN'T DEBATIN' SHIT...SHE AIN'T COMIN'..." Merle turned away from her and started knocking things off the top of the dresser.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY MERLE? I'VE BEEN A WRECK, YOU'RE RIGHT! YOU'VE DONE EVERYTHING THE LAST FEW DAYS...I'M SORRY...I'M SORRY I'M NOT AS STRONG AS YOU...I'M SORRY THAT WORRYING ABOUT OUR SON EATS ME UP EVERY SECOND BUT YOU KNOW WHY I'M REALLY PUSHING FOR THIS..." Gwen fussed at him.

Merle looked back at her angrily. His jaw was clenched. Gwen could see in his eyes his mind was racing. "You're soft that's why...oh she's helped us...we can't leave her defenseless...well we ain't...but she ain't helped me none..."

"She's helped the people you care about...I'm not asking you to like her Merle...but you know your brother would never forgive you if you left her here alone...I know you have to know that somewhere in that thick skull of yours!"

Merle turned his back towards her and leaned against the dresser. He bowed his head a moment then looked back over his shoulder at her. "Ain't nothin' between her and my brother...if he had been so worried about her she'd be with him now..."

"You know that has nothing to do with it...listen...I don't know what's between them, not entirely but he cares about her...he's close to her and it's different than with anyone else in the group...you know it's true..." Gwen insisted.

"I hate to but in but I feel like I have to..." Carol remarked as she stood in the doorway. Both Gwen and Merle looked towards her. "I know we haven't been each other's favorite Merle but haven't we suffered enough? I think we should stick together...it's safer that way. There's been enough loss between all of us. We need each other whether we like it or not." Carol looked directly at Gwen and softly smiled then cut her eyes back to Merle. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry...but Gwen's right...I do care about Daryl...I just didn't want to see him hurt..."

"You tried turnin' him against me...Ya never wanted me there at that stupid prison..." Merle grumbled. "He's my family...mine..."

"Accept my apology or not Merle...but I won't beg you...I've said my piece...I'll leave you to work it out." Carol turned and walked away from the doorway.

Gwen stared at Merle as she waited for him to say something.

Merle just stared at the doorway. He couldn't help but laugh a little to himself at the last bit of what she said. Merle turned back towards Gwen. "Fine but if we get over run by a herd I'm tossin' her in..."

Gwen stepped over to him and slipped her arms around his waist as she stared up at him. He gently brushed the hair back away from her face then traced his finger down the side of it.

"Why do you always have to pick fights with me?" She asked.

Merle grinned as he leaned in and kissed her. When he pulled away, he brushed his lips against her forehead and started to walk out of the room but turned back in the doorway. He grinned before he spoke. " Gonna go find us some wheels...pickin' fights always makes the sex hotter..."

.

"How long ya think we gotta stay down here?" Daryl asked as he sat on a blanket on the floor next to Anna as Ethan slept soundly on the cot. "Ya think they're gonna stay in that town?"

"I don't know...at least until your shoulder heals...Why?...You got someplace ya need to be?" Anna joked.

Daryl didn't crack a smile. "Actually I do..." He looked over at Ethan. "I gotta find my brother..."

"How the hell do you plan to do that?" She laughed.

"Everything a joke to you?" Daryl snapped at her.

Quickly she grew serious and Daryl could see she looked hurt...maybe even a little embarrassed.

"Sorry...this past week's been rough beyond what you can imagine...just...I guess I ain't in the mood for being laughed at..." Daryl sighed.

"I wasn't meaning to laugh at you...it's just finding someone these days is like looking for a needle in a haystack." She remarked.

"Actually a needle would be easy to find..." Daryl mumbled.

"What?" She looked at him confused.

"A needle would be easy to find...it doesn't look like hay...it's metal...just use oblique light and it will almost pop out...now finding a specific piece of hay in a haystack...that would be hard..." Daryl started to chew on the skin around his nails.

Anna looked at him surprised. "Oblique?"

"Yeah...it's when you shine a light at an angle that's..." Daryl started to explain but she cut him off.

"I know what oblique means...just didn't expect that you did..." She stated.

"Why...cause I'm just another stupid redneck?" Daryl said defensively.

Anna looked away from him and sighed. She felt like everything she said to him just came out wrong. "You hungry?" She asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Yeah...I'm surprised Ethan hasn't woken up hungry yet...hope the rain ain't makin' him sick..." Daryl moved closer to the cot and gently rested his hand on Ethan's chest. He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the steady rise and fall of his chest.

"Here..." He heard Anna's voice and as he opened his eyes noticed and open can in front him. He removed his hand from Ethan and took the can from her.

They both sat silent for a few minutes while they ate, both periodically glancing at the other. Daryl finally sat his can down then stared at her until she looked at him.

"He ain't mine...he's my brother's...why I gotta find him...him and Ethan's mother...if she's still alive." He told her.

"So the blond...I mean Beth..." Anna started to say.

"She ain't his mother...just worked out that way when we were all separated..." Daryl told her.

Anna looked over at Ethan and smiled softly for a moment, then returned to eating. "You treat him like yours..."

"I ain't gonna let nothin' hurt him...I can't...I'll die first..." Daryl remarked.

Anna's eyes returned to Daryl's. "I don't doubt that..."

.


End file.
